


Misadventures of 2-A

by ArtemisMoore



Category: Original Work, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Class 1-A Shenanigans (My Hero Academia), Class 1-A as Family (My Hero Academia), Dadzawa, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Mineta Minoru Being an Asshole, Multi, Parental Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead, Slow Burn, Trans Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead, Trans Kaminari Denki, Transphobia, but damn i'm trying, i suck at slow burn, slight angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-09
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:41:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 38,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26909824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArtemisMoore/pseuds/ArtemisMoore
Summary: A story I've been working on for a little while for BNHA, it includes my OC and mentions/minor appearances of a friend's OC. This story will have some dark themes but will be mostly fluff so I hope y'all enjoy it. It'll also be posted under the same title on Wattpad.
Relationships: Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead/Yamada Hizashi | Present Mic, Bakugou Katsuki/Kirishima Eijirou, Hagakure Tooru/Ojiro Mashirao, Jirou Kyouka/Yaoyorozu Momo, Kaminari Denki/Shinsou Hitoshi, Midoriya Izuku/Todoroki Shouto
Comments: 18
Kudos: 75





	1. Warning for Future Chapters!

Warning for Future Chapters:

This story will be mostly fluff but will have some darker themes such as Homophobia, Transphobia, mentions of child abuse, sexual assault, and other subjects that some readers may not be comfortable. To avoid the discomfort of my readers these chapters will have a warning before them, so please be sure to read any warnings that may present themselves at the beginning of the chapters!

This story does have some OC characters that are related to cannon characters or will become a main character though the story will mostly revolve Aizawa and his class some chapters will be in the OC's pov.

Misadventures of 2-A will be updated on Fridays (hopefully stay on that consistent schedule) to keep me from posting all the chapters at once and to also allow my editor the time needed to look at them.

Feedback is not only welcome but encouraged!


	2. Chapter One: The Nightmare

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Got really sick before I could post the first chapter last Friday, so you're getting two chapters today to make up for it.

Aizawa Shouta was running.

He didn’t know why he was running, where he was trying to go, or what he was running from, but whatever was going on he knew that he had to get away. And fast. If he got caught ,whoever or whatever was chasing him would kill him.

The rain fell all around him, soaking his hair and clothing as he ran barefoot through the cold and empty street. The water ran down his skin while a cold breeze danced around him, making the chill he was feeling cut straight to the bone. He shivered violently, letting out an occasional sniffle. He knew if he didn’t get somewhere warm he would get sick, but he couldn’t risk stopping, even for a moment. He had to get away first.

Looking over his shoulder, Aizawa tried to identify the threat that was chasing him. There was nobody directly behind him, but that hardly made him feel any safer.

While he was facing the wrong way he twisted his ankle, tripping over a curb as he landed hard on the sidewalk. Aizawa felt the concrete cut his exposed knees and the palms of his hands as he caught himself. Letting out a quiet and pained curse, Aizawa tried to get up but found yet another thing about the situation that simply didn’t make sense.

He was wearing seafoam green hospital shorts and a matching t-shirt, not his usual clothes. He also had thick metal shackles on both of his wrists. He had a handful of money in his right hand, suggesting he had come up with some kind of plan to get help. 

None of this made sense. What was he running from? Why was he dressed like this? Where was he trying to go?

A dark shadow flying above his head caused fear to rush through him and it convinced him to push past the pain he was feeling, to get back to his feet and start running again. Aizawa scrambled to his feet, once again running through the empty streets until he came to a telephone box. He dove inside, slamming the door shut. He then knocked the phone off the hook before threading the money into the machine. Once the machine was paid he began typing in a number that only added to his questions.

The number he was dialing was his own.

But why was he trying to call himself? In this situation he hardly felt capable of saving himself, so why wasn’t he calling the police? Why wasn’t he in complete control of his body?  
After the last number was typed he pulled the phone against his ear, his body trembling violently. He could hear the ringing but it sounded incredibly far away, as though it was being whispered at the end of a long tunnel. After an uncomfortably long time somebody answered, but instead of the whispering he was expecting to hear it was just static.

Still, he found himself talking to the static. Trying to explain that he was in danger and needed help. Despite knowing help was coming he was starting to cry and shake harder, the fear only getting more and more intense. He could hardly get the words to come out with how hard he was stuttering and shaking.

Just when he thought he was going to be saved, the telephone box door was yanked open. Aizawa felt a fearful scream rip through his throat as he was yanked out of the phone box. The phone slipped from his hand and he instantly began trying to fight off his kidnappers. But there was only one of him, and three of them.

Aizawa tried to get away, tried to scream for help, but this time his scream was cut off by a muzzle being put over his mouth, silencing him once more.

He had been caught.

“Aizawa-sensei? A-Aizawa-sensei, wake up.” A warm hand gently touched Aizawa’s shoulder and the teacher jumped awake with a gasp. He sat up straight in his sleeping bag, grabbing the wrist of whoever was touching him while simultaneously activating his quirk.

The teen beside him, thankfully, seemed unfettered by Aizawa’s reaction to the touch, and instead let their teacher hold his wrist with an almost uncomfortable grip. The freckle-faced teenager frowned worriedly at Aizawa as the teacher slowly loosened his grip and looked around the room, only deactivating his quirk when he knew the class was safe. There was no danger here, just his twenty-one students all looking at him with varying degrees of concern.

Aizawa let out a heavy sigh, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand as he cleared his throat, trying to play off the nightmare. “Yes, Midoriya, do you have a question?”

Midoriya seemed hesitant to respond but Yaoyorozu spoke up from her seat.

“Are you okay, Sensei?”

“You were screaming…” Hagakure added, her own voice thick with worry.

Well, fuck.

Aizawa climbed out of his sleeping bag, deciding sleep was the last thing he wanted right now. “It’s nothing.” He said simply, then looked down at Midoriya, who was now playing with his hands and looking desperate to say something. “What is it, problem child?”

“Um… never mind.” Midoriya said hesitantly as he walked back to his desk and sat down.

Aizawa sighed, looking at the clock with a frown. Class was almost over, which meant soon they would be Present Mic’s problem. He hoped that they would keep what happened to themselves, but knowing his students it wouldn’t be a secret for long, especially with his foster son Shinsou sitting in the back of the class.

“Pass the papers to the front and get ready for English.” He instructed simply, rubbing his eyes again, trying to get rid of any tears that may have started leaking in his sleep.

The students did as they were instructed, passing their papers up the rows to the front of the class where Aizawa then collected them. Aizawa glanced over the papers as he took them to the front of the class and put them in a folder for him to check them later that day. As his students pulled out their english books there were a few whispers, which wasn’t new - the class was never truly silent, after all - but this time he knew he was the subject of their whispers.

Aizawa didn’t know what was worse: the fact that he had experienced such a violent nightmare in front of his class, the fact that the kids were still worried about him, or the fear and anxiety that still rippled through his body.

A hand raised up from the second row and Aizawa sighed. “Yes, Ashido?”

“What did you dream about?” Mina asked and got a few shocked looks from her classmates.

“I don’t remember.” He quickly lied, and Bakugou clicked his tongue in frustration, grumbling ‘yeah right’ under his breath.

“Do you have nightmares often, Sensei?” Sero asked.

“No.” He lied again, quickly losing his patience.

“Is that why you always look so tired?” Mineta piped up.

Aizawa sighed. “I look tired because I am tired. I work two jobs, play babysitter to twenty-two kids all day every day, most of which I can’t stand, and have to deal with insomnia every. Single. Night. So, as a result, I am tired. Now, any more questions?”

The class fell quiet, hurt expressions on many of their faces. Before any of them could say anything else, Present Mic walked in.

“HEY, YOUNG LISTENERS!’ He boomed and Aizawa flinched at the noise, picking up the file full of paperwork. Mic looked around the class, frowning when he saw the solemn look on the students’ faces. “Something wrong?”

“No.” Aizawa said tightly, then quickly walked out of the classroom. He could hear Mic call after him but he didn’t care to stop and listen. His head hurt and he simply didn’t have the energy to deal with Mic or any of the students right now.

Aizawa walked down the hall, going straight to the Teacher’s Lounge. He walked into the room, slamming the door behind him before he flopped down into his chair. He put his head down on the cold wooden surface with a long and heavy sigh. He knew he had gone off on his students and that they didn’t deserve it, but the fact of the matter he was still scared and ashamed. How could he face his students after they had heard him scream in his sleep?

Though… thinking more about it, he couldn’t even imagine how seeing him in that situation made his students feel.

They were probably freaked out by what happened; after all they had seen him terrified and vulnerable in a way they hadn’t seen since the USJ Incident, and even back then he had been more angry than scared.

Aizawa glanced up as a mug was placed in front of him, the smell of freshly brewed coffee coaxing him into a sitting position. He then looked up at the person who had placed it there.

Midnight.

“What’s this for?” He asked her suspiciously.

“You came in looking like somebody took a piss in your last cup, so I thought I’d make you a fresh one.” She said, sitting in a chair beside him. “Do you want to talk about it?”

No. He really didn’t want to talk about it. Not to Midnight. Not to Yagi. Not even to Present Mic.

“Not particularly.” He said bitterly, taking a sip of the coffee with a sigh.

“Troubles with Eri?” She guessed.

“What? No. Eri is fine.”

“Shinsou?”

“No.” He sighed.

Midnight hummed. “Can I get a hint?”

“No. I already told you, I don’t want to talk about it.” He repeated.

“Then I’ll just keep guessing.” She shrugged.

“God! You’re as insufferable as Mic sometimes.” Aizawa snapped.

“Aha! Problems with Mic!” She guessed again and Aizawa groaned in frustration.

“No!” He snarled, then sighed. “Fine. I fell asleep in front of the class-”

“-like always-”

“-and I had a nightmare.”

Midnight’s smile faded to a frown. “A nightmare?”

“Yeah.” Aizawa took a drink of coffee before he sighed. “Midoriya woke me up and then the class informed me that I had been screaming in my sleep.”

Midnight sat up straighter, her eyes narrowing with worry. “Nightmares are one thing, but… screaming in your sleep… do you do that often?”

Aizawa shook his head. “No. I mean, not in a long time. Normally I’m able to wake myself up before that point. It hasn’t happened since before Shirakumo died…”

Midnight frowned. “Is that what your nightmare was about? I mean, you’re still making visits to the hospital to try and bring him back, right? Could that have caused your nightmare?”

“No. It wasn’t about Shirakumo or any of the usual suspects. This one… it was different.” He sighed. “I don’t know. The last time I had a dream like that was a month before Shirakumo’s accident.” He explained, looking at his reflection in the coffee. “Back then, I had a dream about his accident and then a month later it did happen, just how I saw it.”

“So… what? You had a vision or something?”

Aizawa shrugged. “Maybe? I know my mom and sister have dreams of the future because of their quirks, but my dad’s quirk is similar to mine. I don’t know why I would suddenly start dreaming of the future now.”

Midnight frowned. “Well, mental quirks such as yours aren’t completely understood; like the human mind they’re constantly changing with age and environment. Your environment hasn’t changed, but maybe somebody else’s has and you’re being affected. Maybe you should call your family? Ask for advice?”

“No, it’s fine. There’s no reason to get them involved with this.” He said quickly and Midnight frowned.

“Come on, Shouta; it’s been 8 years. How long are you going to keep shutting them out?”

Aizawa sighed. God, he wished it had only been eight years, but he couldn’t tell Midnight the full story. He couldn’t tell her of the abuse and neglect he suffered through middle school and high school and he sure as hell couldn’t tell her the reason for the abuse. He would just have to deal with being the ‘bad guy’ in the eyes of his friends and family.

“Forever. I guess.” He shrugged, scratching at his scar.

“Have you at least spoken to your parents?”

“I get a text from my dad on my birthday and New Years’, but no, I haven’t spoken to mom or Ayano in a long time.”

Midnight sighed. “You’re hopeless.”

“So I’ve been told.” He shrugged, taking another sip of coffee. Now that his mind was on his family he couldn’t help but think about the one family member he still cared deeply about.

How was he? How old was he now? Did he ever think about Aizawa?

Great. He thought. Now I’m even more depressed.

After English was done, Present Mic joined Aizawa in the Teacher’s Lounge while Midnight went to teach her lesson to 2-A. Normally, Aizawa would have sat in on the majority of their classes, just to make sure they behaved, but he obviously didn’t feel like it today. He didn’t want to face his students, not after how he had treated them. He knew he was out of line, but he still needed to calm down before he could apologize. His students weren’t in trouble - after all, they had only tried to help him - but he was still embarrassed and confused by the entire situation.

Mic sat at his desk beside Aizawa’s. He took off his speaker and put it on the desk before he turned Aizawa’s chair, making the raven-haired man face him. Mic looked at Aizawa closely, pushing his black hair behind his ear. His green eyes then scanned Aizawa’s face closely. Aizawa glanced nervously around the room. Despite being the only two in the room Aizawa felt uncomfortable under Mic’s loving gaze. It felt like the entire school was watching them in that one moment.

“How much do you know?” Aizawa asked softly, looking back at the blond, his tired eyes landing on his boyfriend of six years.

“Just that you had a nightmare and that the kids are worried.” Mic said, touching Aizawa’s face with a worried frown. “Do you want to talk about it?”

He didn’t want to talk about it, but after mentioning some of it to Midnight it felt wrong not to tell Mic anything. After all, Mic knew him better than anybody else in his life. Aizawa sighed softly, leaning into the hand against his cheek.

“I was being chased.” He said softly. “I couldn’t see who was chasing me but I just knew that if they caught me I would be hurt… or worse. I made it to a phone booth and called for help, but… whoever was chasing me caught up. They pulled me out of the booth and when I tried to fight back, they muzzled me. I was fighting to get free when Midoriya woke me up.”

Mic frowned, gently rubbing his thumb gently over Aizawa’s scar. “Do you have any idea what could have caused it?”

Aizawa shook his head, slowly leaning forward as he put his head on Mic’s shoulder. “I have no idea, but… it felt off. Almost like that dream I had about Shirokuma’s accident.”

Mic’s frown turned into a worried scowl as he pulled Aizawa into a hug. “Whatever it is, Shouta, we’ll figure it out. I promise.”

Aizawa nodded slowly, and after a moment he finally asked. “Are the kids okay?”

“They’re fine. Worried about you and quieter than normal, but they’re alright. Why?”

“I kinda… went off on them.”

Aizawa could almost see Mic’s smile. “You feel bad?”

“Of course I do.” He grumbled. “They were worried about me and I was an ass to them.”

“Then you should apologize, Shouta. It might be embarrassing but apologizing to them will help them learn that even Pro heroes should own up to their mistakes.”

“I know…” He sighed. “I’ll apologize tonight when everybody is at the dorms.”

“Good!” Mic laughed. “Because honestly, they were so well-behaved during class that they were starting to freak me out.”

Aizawa thought Mic had been joking, but as the day continued he got more and more reports of his class behaving strangely. Even Cementoss and Yagi seemed unnerved by their ‘perfect’ behavior. By the time classes were over for the day Aizawa was starting to worry about his students. There was no way they could behave this long, even if they were upset. Had they been replaced or affected by a quirk?

He knew he was being paranoid but he found himself worrying all the same.

Late that afternoon when Aizawa entered the class’s dorm and looked around, he saw that his class was just as solemn as they had been earlier that morning. Even the normally loud students had fallen into an uncomfortable quiet. It was as though a dark cloud had filled every corner of the dorm, drowning out the happiness of his students.

A few of the students looked up at him when he entered the building, but quickly went back to what they were doing. Not a single word was said.

Todoroki, Asui, Midoriya, Uraraka, Iida, and Shinsou were all sitting at a dining room table doing their assignments. Koda, Tokoyami, Shoji, and Ojiro were playing a silent game of cards at another table. Sato, Aoyama, Hagakure, and Mineta were cleaning up the remainder of breakfast while Yaoyorozu made a list of items they were running low on. Bakugou, Kaminari, Kirishima, Sero, Ashido, and Jiro were all playing a game on the TV, which had the volume muted.

He wanted to say they were sulking, being bratty, childish, or even just overreacting about what had happened earlier that morning, but Aizawa knew the truth. He had genuinely hurt them and they were now doing their best to avoid bothering him anymore. It wasn’t their fault, yet he had blamed them for it.

Aizawa rubbed the back of his neck as he sighed and walked to the center of the common room, clearing his throat. “Can I have everybody’s attention?”

The game paused and everybody turned towards Aizawa.

Aizawa hesitated for a moment before speaking. “About this morning.” He grumbled. “I was more shaken up by my dream than I would like to admit, but that was no reason to lash out at all of you.” Accepting the kick to his pride, Aizawa bowed softly, making Iida gasp in shock and scramble to his feet. “I’m sorry.”

“N-no! No no no.” Iida said quickly, waving his hands around wildly. “We should have minded our own business, especially when it was clear that you were upset and-”

“It’s alright, Iida. It was my fault.” Aizawa assured. “Now, please go back to being your loud, obnoxious selves. You’re freaking everybody out.”

The class, thankfully, erupted into noise and Aizawa was finally able to breathe. He still didn’t understand his dream, but at least the class was back to normal again.


	3. Chapter Two: Bakugou's Secret

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warning: Mild anxiety attack

It wasn’t unusual for Bakugou to wake up in a bad- well, a worse mood than normal. It was one of the reasons he went to bed so early and woke up the same time as the sun: it was to give himself extra time to wake up and mentally prepare for the events that were to come later on in the day. What was unusual, however, was to wake up with a headache so strong it felt like his head was simply going to explode on the walls of his dorm room.

He knew why his head hurt so bad: a group of seemingly unconnected health ‘issues’ mixed with the extended use of his quirk the day before. He also knew that he could have prevented it from getting so bad, but he didn’t, because doing so would only admit that he was wrong and that his parents and doctors had been right. In this particular situation, being wrong was just as painful as what he was already feeling.

Bakugou sat up in his bed, the world around him sounding as though it was underwater, minus the pressure behind his eardrums. He sighed softly, digging his finger in his ear and trying to get the uncomfortable watery sound to go away, but the longer and harder he tried to fix his ears the more anxious he became when he wasn’t able to. Bakugou tried not to whimper, anxiety rippling over his body uncomfortably as he pulled his hand out of his ear and looked at his fingers with a frown.

Blood.

Both dried and fresh blood were on his hands, suggesting his ears had been injured sometime yesterday- likely during training. Maybe if he cleaned the blood up, the watery sound would go away?

Bakugou climbed out of bed, walking towards his bathroom and stepping inside. He flicked on the light, turning his head as he examined his face. Both sides of his face had dried blood on them, leading down from his ears.

That wasn’t good.

Bakugou grabbed a washcloth, getting it damp in the sink before he gently cleaned the blood off of his face and earlobes. He then grabbed a cotton swab, gently cleaning the blood from the inside and outside of his ears. He continued cleaning and gently rubbing until the swabs came out clean. Unfortunately, his hearing was still watery and drowned out. He tried not to panic at this realization but found that his hands were beginning to tremble.

Bakugou sighed, once again pushing down the anxiety and discomfort as he got ready for the school day. There was nothing he could do about his hearing, so he might as well pretend that nothing was wrong.

It didn’t take Bakugou long to get dressed and leave his bedroom, pounding on Kirishima’s door as he walked past. He didn’t stop to wait for Kirishima- after all, it wasn’t his problem if Shitty Hair didn’t make it to class in time; he wasn’t his idiot's keeper. He had just made it to the elevator when a large, warm hand grabbed Bakugou’s shoulder.  
Bakugou looked over at him, his eyes landing on Kirishima’s lips as he tried to understand what was being said to him.

“Mornin’ Bakubro!” Kirishima said brightly, his shark-like teeth turned into an excited smile.

Kirishima was the only person outside of his family and his doctors that knew about his secret, and that wasn’t by Bakugou’s choice. The nosy redhead had discovered his secret one day while snooping through his stuff. Kirishima had tried to change how he spoke when he found out about Bakugou’s ‘issues’ but in doing so he only made it harder for both of them. In the end, however, they found that Bakugou was able to understand most of what Kirishima said without any problems.

Bakugou could only assume it was because Kirishima constantly clung to him, but in all honesty he had no idea why Kirishima was so easy to read.

“Mornin’ Shittyhair.” Bakugou grumbled back, brushing Kirishima’s hand off of his shoulder.

“How are you doin’ this mornin’?”

“Fine.” Bakugou simply said.

“Great!” Kirishima started, his excitement causing him to speak faster. “I had a dream that I was a dragon-” That was all Bakugou was able to understand before he finally gave up and let Kirishima ramble out loud to himself.

The two rode the elevator down to the first floor and found that some of their class had already started eating breakfast. Deku, Asui, Jiro and Koda had been in charge of breakfast and had apparently made miso soup, though they were now sitting at different tables eating breakfast.

Deku was the first one to notice them as he waved to Bakugou and Kirishima. Kirishima waved back to him while Bakugou simply ignored him and went into the kitchen.  
Bakugou was confident that Deku and his mother knew about his ‘problem’ simply because of how close Inko and Bakugou’s mom were. If Deku did know about it, he also knew better than to bring it up and the two had never talked about it. Not that Bakugou was ever going to mention it to anybody, let alone Deku.

Bakugou and Kirishima grabbed their breakfast and sat down at one of the tables, across from Asui. Asui, like Kirishima, was one of the few students that Bakugou could understand relatively easily. Whether it was because of how little she spoke, because she got right to the point, or because her mouth was big enough that he could read it without a problem, he didn’t know.

Asui nodded a ‘good morning’ to them before going back to her soup.

Bakugou glanced around the room to make sure nobody was trying to talk to him before he fell into the drowned-out noises he was becoming used to.

There was nothing wrong with Bakugou- at least, nothing that he would admit. He could hear… kinda. It just wasn’t as good as it had been when he was younger. Things just sounded underwater or far away, and sometimes his own words wouldn’t come out properly. But that wasn’t Bakugou’s problem; it was everybody else’s problem for talking so damn quiet and fast all the time. There was nothing wrong with Bakugou.

He was fine.

Bakugou looked at Asui again as she simply said, “You’re pale.”

Bakugou shrugged. “Just hungry.” He grumbled.

It wasn’t a lie, of course. It was morning and he was hungry. Of course, he wasn’t going to mention the headache, the anxiety, or the uncomfortable crawling feeling that was starting to dance across his skin.

It was normal, though. Everything was fine.

He was fine.

Asui shrugged, thankfully dropping the subject as they continued eating breakfast in ‘silence’.

Ten minutes later Bakugou finished his breakfast, washed his bowl out, then headed towards the school. By this point the self-proclaimed ‘Baku-Squad’: Ashido, Kaminari, Sero, Jiro, and of course Kirishima, had all finished their food and were tagging along with him. It was hard on Bakugou to be in a group like this, for multiple reasons.

One of the reasons was because he wasn’t good with people and hated crowds, and then there was his hearing. It was a pain in the ass when everybody went to talk to him all at once. It wasn’t impossible, but it would eventually give him a headache or make current headaches worse. Thankfully, if all else failed he could always go with his favorite phrase, ‘fuck off’, and people would eventually leave him alone.

Not that having a lot of people talking to him was a problem.

Because it wasn’t.

He was fine.

He just had to make it through the day.

It didn’t take a genius to figure out that each of his students had their own problems- be it physical, psychological, or otherwise, the problems still existed. Some of the students came to U.A. with these problems while others developed problems while attending U.A., though considering all that his class had gone through during their first year Aizawa wasn’t surprised that things were amiss with some of his students. That being said, some of these issues seemed to hide better than others, especially with those students who were fully convinced that they were ‘fine’.

It seemed like each week a new problem arrived with one of his students, and this week’s student seemed to be none other than Bakugou.

Aizawa had noticed the blond acting off during his classes. He was more fidgety than usual, scratching at his arms, flinching at loud noises, and often rubbing at his ears. Aizawa had assumed that Midoriya was being annoying behind him, but the fact that Bakugou hadn’t threatened Midoriya a single time today made him second-guess that theory. Aizawa hadn’t been able to figure out what was wrong with his student and simply couldn’t expect a straight answer from him, so instead Aizawa had stayed in the background.

Aizawa had hoped that Bakugou could come to him, or at the very least one of Bakugou’s friends would voice concerns, but when nobody did Aizawa was frustrated. Not just with Bakugou, but with the entire class for not noticing or not caring enough to say something.

Aizawa couldn’t be too mad at his students, though, not when he hadn’t been able to figure out Bakugou’s ‘problem’ on his own. In all honesty, it should have been obvious to Aizawa after last year's Sports Festival. The way Bakugou rubbed his ears, the way he shouted even when he wasn’t angry, the way Bakugou stared at anybody who was talking to him, or even the way he would simply ignore people when they were talking. Maybe if Aizawa had noticed the problem sooner, the current situation wouldn’t be unfolding in front of him.

The class was spread out through Ground Beta in four teams of four and one team of five, trying to take a colored band from the other teams in the area. The team with the most bands by the end of class won. All Might and Aizawa stood in the observation room, watching the different teams on monitors doing their best to win for their teams, nobody wanting to lose to any of their classmates.

Bakugou, Koda, Mineta, and Kaminari were on team A. Shinsou, Aoyama, Ashido, and Iida on team B. Asui, Uraraka, Midoriya, and Ojiro were on team C. Kirishima, Sato, Shoji and Hagakure were on team D. Team E was made up of Jiro, Tokoyami, Todoroki, Yaoyorozu, and Sero.

Aizawa had been watching teams C and E fight with D closing in on them when a massive explosion in the corner of his eye caught his attention. The size of it made it clear that it was one of Bakugou’s, but even Bakugou knew that an explosion that big was risky against his fellow classmates. Aizawa turned his full attention towards the cameras covering where teams A and B had met head on, and so far neither team was going to go down without a fight.

Mineta had clung onto Ashido’s back while she zipped around, trying to get the purple pervert against the buildings and knock him off of her. Kaminari was electrocuting the ground, aiming for Iida’s legs, but in turn was scaring away the animals that Koda had called to go after Shinsou. To Aizawa’s surprise Aoyama was targeting Bakugou, the two blonds battling it out a decent distance from the rest of the students.

Aoyama was keeping Bakugou at bay with his lasers, shooting small bursts at Bakugou to keep him backed up into a parking garage, all while Bakugou was causing explosions to counteract the lasers. When the two met a much larger and damaging explosion occurred, explosions large enough to damage the building that Bakugou was standing in. Little by little the structure was being damaged and it seemed as though neither of them had noticed, even when small chunks of concrete began falling around them.

Aizawa glared worriedly as Bakugou set off another decently-sized explosion, protecting himself from the laser once more. This shot Bakugou backwards, deeper into the building and out of the camera’s view. Bakugou continued to make explosions from out of sight, but the danger looming over their heads continued to be unnoticed.

“Yagi.” Aizawa started as Aoyama finally noticed the damage and stopped shooting at Bakugou, starting to wave his arms and trying to warn him.

But if Bakugou heard Aoyama he wasn’t listening, because he wasn’t coming out of the building. The longer the situation played out the more the rest of the students noticed the situation and tried to get Bakugou out of the building. Still nothing, and as the building started to crumble more and more it dawned on Aizawa.

Bakugou wasn’t coming out or responding. Not because he was being stubborn, but because he didn’t understand what was being said to him.

“Oh my god, he can’t hear them.” Aizawa said, dread washing over him like a cold wave as he rushed out of the observation room.

Bakugou’s headache had gotten so much worse as the day went on, and now that he was actively using his quirk and running around he found that he was dizzy and nauseous. It was borderline migraine at this point and he felt like he was either going to throw up or faint. It didn’t help that he and Twinkles had been fighting the entire time, adding to the amount of noise around them, and now he couldn’t hear anything. No more underwater noise that he had finally gotten used to. No ringing. No mumbling. Not even the distant rumbles of his own explosions.

It was like it was all in a really trippy, silent dream.

Twinkles tried to get close and Bakugou let off a slight explosion, threatening him slightly. Bakugou had the flag and he was going to protect it from his classmates, no matter the cost. It didn’t matter that his head hurt, or that he was shaking, or that he had probably changed three shades of green in the time he had been standing there.

Fuck. He hated feeling sick. This was only a training exercise; it wasn’t a big deal. He just had to finish it and then he would be done for the day.

This was fine.

He was fine!

Bakugou raised a brow, watching as the rest of the group as well as the members of the other team had come over to where Aoyama was and seemed to be freaking out about something. Aoyama and Shinsou were frantically swinging their arms and shouting something. Iida had his hands cupped by his mouth and was also shouting. Mineta looked ready to piss himself and Koda was holding back Mina and Kaminari, which only further confused Bakugou. He understood why Koda would hold back Mina- after all, she was on the other team, but why was he holding back Kaminari? He was on their team. Had Koda forgotten?

Bakugou tried to read their lips, but they were all talking too fast. He tilted his head softly. “W’at’s w’ong?” He shouted, trying not to flinch at the sound - no - the feeling of his own voice. “Sca’ed?!”

Nobody moved towards him- in fact, they seemed to take a step back. He couldn’t tell what everybody was saying or doing, but it was confusing. Why was everybody just watching him from a distance? Was he bleeding again? Is that why his head hurt? He didn’t feel any blood or anything… so why? Had somebody else gotten hurt? Had the exercise been cut off early?

Was Shitty-Hair okay?

Whatever was going on, it only got more confusing when Iida helped hold Kaminari and Mina back, but at least he could see what Mina was saying.

She, at least, was screaming his name over and over again. But why? He knew who he was; had they forgotten or something?

God. His head fucking hurt. He was so dizzy that he could have sworn the ground under him was starting to shift. But that was ridiculous. He needed to finish this stupid exercise and sit down before he collapsed.

Iida finally seemed to get fed up as he ran at Bakugou.

Bakugou braced himself, letting off a small explosion to deter him from getting close. No way he was going to let Iida get close; even if he was acting weird, Iida was on the other team and Bakugou wasn’t going to lose this exercise. Iida, despite the explosion, only backed up before reaching for Bakugou again, and again Bakugou let out an explosion, this one bigger than the last, physically knocking his classmate away from him. Iida stumbled back a good ten feet before the ground shifted again, and to Bakugou’s surprise a large chunk of concrete fell between them where Iida had just been standing.

Startled, Bakugou looked up and understood why everybody was acting so strange. The walls, supports, ceiling above him, and floor below him was cracked and covered in deep spiderweb-like damage. The building was coming down around him and he hadn’t known.

Bakugou looked at Iida, who was ready to run at him again. But this time Bakugou understood and could save himself.

“RUN!” He shouted, leaping over the fallen chunk as Iida ran back towards the group.

Bakugou had just managed to get out into the open air when the part of the building he was in finally collapsed where he had been standing. Unfortunately, he was still too close to the building, and the force of the implosion knocked him off his feet and sent him flying through the air. To Bakugou’s surprise, he didn’t land face-first on the ground and instead slammed into something tall and warm that instantly wrapped around him and shielded him from any debris that was showering the area.

Bakugou allowed the person to hold him, in shock over the entire situation as he felt the person breathe heavily. It wasn’t until gray fabric brushed his face and the scent of raspberry and lavender filled his nose that Bakugou snapped out of his daze and looked up. Standing over him and guarding him was none other than Aizawa.

His teacher was pale and not just from the dust of the building that was also in his hair and on his clothes; he looked physically sick to his stomach. He looked Bakugou over for injuries while Bakugou pushed himself away from his teacher.

Looking over at the building, Bakugou felt his legs start to shake. The entire thing hadn’t come down, but the area he had been in was completely destroyed, including three floors above him and two floors under him. The rest of the building seemed safe, but just the amount of damage that had been done in a single collapse was… unnerving.

Bakugou’s attention only stayed on the building for a moment before Aizawa gently grabbed Bakugou’s arms and forced him to look at him once again. He seemed to be saying something, but unfortunately Aizawa’s scarf was covering his mouth and it prevented Bakugou from seeing what was actually being said. It didn’t take long before Bakugou gave up trying to read his mouth.

“Fuc’, I'm fine.” He said, frowning when Aizawa’s brows knitted together.

Aizawa reached into his utility belt, pulling out a pen as he wrote on his hand, then turned it towards Bakugou. Bakugou glared at his teacher for a moment before reading what was written.

Can you hear me?

Well, fuck.

Less than half an hour later Bakugou was sitting in the infirmary with Aizawa, Recovery Girl, and Kirishima. He wasn’t entirely sure why Kirishima was there, but figured it had to be because Kirishima had known about his… situation. At least, he had been the only person to know before today. He guessed that at least some of his classmates had figured out what had happened by now, and considering nobody in his class could keep a fucking secret, his diagnosis would surely be known to the rest of his class by the end of the day.

Bakugou looked down at his trembling hands, his mother’s devastated voice playing in the back of his mind.

“Hearing loss? He’s only 10! I want a second opinion!”

“Honey-”

“No! I refuse to believe that our son is losing his hearing! What could have caused it?!”

“His Quirk, more than likely. The sounds of the explosions, even the small ones he creates, has slowly been damaging his hearing.” The doctor had explained.

“How long until it’s completely gone?” Asked his father.

“It depends. If he continues using his Quirk the way he is it’ll happen before he’s 20, but if he stops using his Quirk now - or at least lessens how often he uses it - his hearing could last him another 20 years.”

Bakugou felt his lip tremble as he swallowed the lump in his throat. He had cried back then, but he wasn’t going to cry this time. Not when the answer was the same it had been back then. He was going to be a hero - hearing or not.

A sudden, soft pressure on the side of his head caught Bakugou’s attention as Recovery Girl kissed his temple. There was a sharp and painful pop, followed by a small wave of dizziness before some sounds returned. It still sounded drowned out, like he was underwater, but at least he could hear something, even if it wasn’t as much as he had been able to the day before.

Bakugou looked at Recovery Girl as she said something to him with a scowl. Bakugou frowned, staring at her mouth for a moment as he tried to piece together the little bit he could hear and what he was reading. Eventually, he deemed it impossible and sighed.

“I don’ understand a word you’re sayin’, old lady.” He said, thankful he could at least hear himself enough to not sound like an idiot.

Recovery Girl looked at Aizawa, who in turn glared at Bakugou and Kirishima. Aizawa then rolled his eyes and crouched in front of Bakugou, pulling his scarf away from his mouth as he spoke slowly to Bakugou.

“‘Ow ‘ong?” Aizawa asked. How long?

“How long, what?” Bakugou asked with a glare, which was instantly returned by Aizawa.

“‘Ow ‘ong have you n’t been ‘ble to ‘ear me?” How long have you not been able to hear me?

Bakugou sighed, biting his lip for a moment. “I’ve never been able to hear you clearly.” He said, and Aizawa frowned. “But this is the worst it’s ever been.”

Aizawa pinched the bridge of his nose with thought before he spoke again. “C’n you ‘ear any’ting?” Can you hear anything?

“Fuckin’... not really? I can hear mumbles but they don’t make sense unless I’m looking directly at’cha.”

“Why didn’ you say any’ting?” Why didn’t you say anything?

Bakugou let out a huff of laughter. “What could I say? ‘Hi, I’m Bakugou, I’m 16 years old and I’m going to be the number one hero! Oh! By the way, I’m going to be deaf by the age of 20!’.” Bakugou sighed, looking at his teacher, his voice trembling as he asked, “Who would want to depend on a deaf hero?”

Kirishima looked down sadly, Aizawa looked ready to hit Bakugou, and Recovery Girl did hit him.

Bakugou whimpered, holding his head as his glared at Recovery Girl. “Ow! What the fuck, old lady?!”

The way Recovery Girl’s lips were moving, her brows angrily knitted together, and how red her face was Bakugou could only guess she was lecturing him, but she was talking too fast for Bakugou to understand. Eventually the elderly woman calmed down and grabbed a notebook, using a blue pen to write something before she turned the notebook towards Bakugou.

You’re a reckless idiot. Do you have any hearing aids?

Bakugou felt his face grow hot as he pressed his lips tightly together. “Yeah, I have some.”

Then why aren’t you wearing them?!

“Because it’s embarrassing!” Bakugou snapped. “Being deaf and keeping it a secret is one thing, but being deaf and having everybody know it the moment they look at you?! I’d never become a hero like that!”

Bakugou looked at Kirishima when Aizawa and Recovery Girl did. He then watched him for a moment, trying to catch what he was saying.

“He wouldn’t have told me that he was losing his hearing if I hadn’t been snooping through his desk and found his old hearing aids sitting there. I tried to convince him to at least learn sign but he didn’t want to accept his diagnosis.”

Aizawa sighed, gently taking the notebook from Recovery Girl as he wrote something on it. Aizawa then handed the book to Bakugou and the blond felt his heart drop.  
We’ll run a hearing test on you and order you new hearing aids. When they arrive you will wear them whenever you are outside of the dorms. If I catch you without them or a good reason I will expel you on the spot.

Being a deaf hero is something we can help you with, but I will not let you endanger the lives of your classmates because you’re too stubborn to admit that you can’t hear. You could have gotten yourself or somebody else killed today, and I refuse to let it happen again.  
Understood?

Bakugou wanted to argue, to say it wasn’t fair or that he didn’t want to be seen as weak, but deep down he knew that his teacher was right. If the building had collapsed only seconds earlier he and Iida could have both been seriously injured. Or worse. It was a hard choice, but one he knew he needed to make for his safety and the safety of his classmates.

Bakugou clenched his teeth and nodded. 

“I… understand. I’m… sorry, Aizawa-sensei.”

Two hours later Bakugou was able to go back to the dorms, but only after he finished his hearing test and gotten the hearing aids ordered. Recovery Girl said the hearing aids would be there within a few days, but until then he wasn’t allowed to attend classes to let his ears rest and recover more on their own. That meant no training, listening to music, going to class, or even attending Hero Studies as an observer. It was infuriating, but he could deal with it.

What he couldn’t deal with was the fact that his entire class had only heard about his diagnosis, but had been ordered by Aizawa not to talk around him until his hearing aids arrived to help his recovery and to encourage them all to learn more Sign Language, something Koda was put in charge of teaching. It was annoying, but at least it was quiet.

A little… too quiet.

Bakugou spent the next two days in his room in silence: studying, reading, and occasionally stepping on his balcony to at least listen to the wind and nature noises that refused to shut up no matter the circumstances. He had gotten so used to the noise of the dorms that now that there was no noise it constantly felt like he had been kidnapped again. Not that there was anything he could do about that feeling.

Thankfully, by the end of the second day, just when he thought he was going to lose his mind from the silence, Aizawa and Present Mic entered the dorm room. The blond was carrying a small black box in his hands. Aizawa went over to where the majority of the class was sitting while Mic walked over to Bakugou, smiling at him before signaling for him to follow him outside. Bakugou almost hesitated, but considering Mic was carrying what was probably his hearing aids, he figured it was better to follow now and ask questions later.

Bakugou got out of his seat, looking over at Kirishima before he followed Present Mic out of the dorms and onto the front patio. Mic looked at Bakugou before he smiled and signed.

Sit

Bakugou glared at his teacher, but did as he was told, sitting on the front steps as his teacher finally held the box out towards him and signed.

Do you know how wear them?

Bakugou nodded tightly, taking the box from his teacher. He opened the box, feeling a little surprised to see how small they were compared to the old ones he used to wear. It was a little unnerving, admittedly, but it didn’t take him long to figure out how to put them on. He slipped the clear plastic around his ear before pushing the small black part into his ear, and with a simple flick of his finger turned the new hearing aids on.

Suddenly, the world he thought was so silent and uncomfortable was filled with a shocking amount of noise. He had almost forgotten that crickets made noise, that grass and trees rustled when air ran through them, and then there was the fact that there were the ever-present sounds of the city in the distance. It was instantly… overwhelming.

The gasp ripped from Bakugou’s throat before he could even fully understand that it was too much, but thankfully Mic was there, right in front of him to catch his attention. Mic snapped twice as he gained Bakugou’s attention again.

“Breathe.” He said in a soft voice. “I know it’s a lot. Find the volume wheel and turn it down.” He said.

Bakugou reached up to his ears again, his hands shaking as he finally found the wheel, spinning it to where the volume was almost completely down. Bakugou was trembling, his breathing hard and fast as he looked at his teacher. He knew how to ground himself during anxiety attacks; that wasn’t the problem. The problem was knowing he had to deal with that much noise for the rest of his life. He looked at his teacher, his trembles still continuing.

“There you go, Young Listener. Deep breaths. You’re doing great.”

Bakugou gulped softly, cracking his knuckles to further calm himself down. “How did you know… it would be too much?” He asked.

Mic smiled softly, reaching up to his own ear for a moment, and to Bakugou’s surprise pulled out a hearing aid nearly identical to the ones he had just put on. “Big quirks have big drawbacks.” He said softly before putting his hearing aid back on. “I had to get mine right after I graduated, so I had to learn how to handle being deaf on the job. You’re lucky, though. You can learn how to do it while it’s still okay to say it’s ‘too much’. Your teachers… I am here to help you. Aizawa is here to help you. You don’t have to go through this alone, Bakugou. It’s okay to be a deaf hero.”

Bakugou felt his lip tremble as he looked at the ground. “Fuck… t-thanks, Mic.” He grumbled softly.

“Any time. Take the weekend to adjust to your hearing aids. It’s your birthday this Saturday, right?”

Bakugou nodded slowly.

“Any plans?”

“Dinner with my dad and the hag.” Bakugou said softly.

Mic smiled. “Alright, that’s a good chance to figure out what volume you can handle. You don’t have to have it all the way up all the time. Also, once you get comfortable with the hearing aids you can get a second pair to connect to your hero costume.”

“Is… that what you had to do?”

Mic nodded. “Yep. We made it so that whenever I use my speaker, my hearing aids automatically shut off so I don’t get any painful feedback.” He explained. “For yours it might be changed so that it has protection against the noise of your quirk.”

“Do I have to sleep with them in?”

“You can, but no, you don’t have to. One of the downsides about being deaf in the night is fires and attacks, but there are things you can do to add on to your safety when you can’t hear, such as flashing fire detectors and alarms. I have both at my personal home as well as my room here at the dorms.”

“How do I get those?”

“Stores at the mall sell them if you know where to look, you could have some specially made, or if you want to keep your privacy you can order some online.”

Bakugou pressed his lips tightly together. He would probably go the online route just for ease and privacy, but at least there were other options for the future. He tried to think of any more questions, but none automatically came to mind, so instead he decided to try and wrap up the ‘meeting’ there.

“Thanks, Mic.”

“No problem; I’m here if you think of any more questions. If I’m not around though, just ask Shou… Aizawa. He knows a lot about the deaf community. Hell, he was the first person I told when I got my diagnosis.”

“Yeah… I’ll think about it.” Bakugou said, dusting off his pants and he stuffed the box into his pocket. “Night, Mic.”

“Night, kiddo.”

Bakugou walked back into the dorms, instantly being met by abrupt silence. Bakugou glared at his class, who had obviously been mid-conversation when he walked in. Bakugou looked at Aizawa who nodded, then Bakugou finally spoke up.

“They work. You extras can stop tiptoeing around me now; I ain’t a fuckin’ princess.”

The class was quiet for a moment longer before Jirou and Kaminari started laughing, while Mina, Sero, and Kirishima all cheered and ran towards Bakugou.

He didn’t understand why everybody was so happy about him being able to hear again, but at least things were starting to get back to normal.


	4. Chapter Three: Bakugou's Birthday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warning: Mentions of Child Abuse, Child Abuse, Bakugou's Mom is a bitch

Bakugou had secrets other than being deaf, but he was usually able to hide them without having to try too hard. Sure, he eventually got caught not being able to hear, but big deal. That was one of the lesser secrets. Losing one secret was no big deal as long as he kept the others hidden away from the light. He didn’t care if one escaped now and then.

But it seemed like fate wasn’t done exposing his secrets quite yet.

“Thanks for the ride, Aizawa.” Bakugou said, grabbing his overnight bag as he climbed out of the car and stood outside of his parent’s home.

It was his birthday tomorrow, and his parents had specifically asked to have him for the night and into the following afternoon to celebrate it. Nobody saw a problem with it, not even Bakugou; after all, a day away from the dorms couldn’t be too bad. It had been months since Bakugou had been kidnapped and there hadn’t been any other attempts or L.O.V.-related activity, so why should they stop Bakugou from going home for a few hours?

Unfortunately, a few hours could change things, and it seemed like tonight was going to be a big change for Bakugou and his family.

Aizawa nodded slowly. “If you want to come back early, give me a call.” He grumbled. “I’ll be here at 3 tomorrow regardless if I hear from you or not, so have fun.”

“Yeah…” Bakugou glared at his house, tapping gently on the car window before he walked to the front door of the house and knocked.

Until he started dorming at U.A. he had a key to get in and out of the house as he saw fit, but after he ‘moved out’ his mother decided that he no longer needed his key and had taken it from him. After all, he wasn’t living at home; there was no reason for him to show up uninvited anymore. It hadn’t bothered Bakugou until that moment, but only because it was embarrassing standing in front of the house with his teacher watching him from the road, waiting for his parents to open the door.

The door finally opened, Bakugou’s father standing on the other side with a big smile on his face. “Katsuki.” His father said brightly, pulling Bakugou into a hug.

“Hey, pops.”

“Come in, come in!” He said softly, waving to Aizawa.

Bakugou and his father walked into the house, his father closing and locking the door behind him. A lock that Bakugou would later learn sealed him in for a night of emotional torment.

The two men walked through the house and into the kitchen where his mother was standing at the kitchen island, a big flawless smile on her face as she rushed over to Bakugou and pulled him into a hug. Bakugou hugged his mother back with a soft sigh, slowly realizing how much he missed his parents. He had seen them for the short break between first and second year, but hadn’t seen or spoken to them since then. It was nice to see them.

It was nice to be home.

“We made your favorite foods.” His father said softly, gesturing to the dining room where a large meal had been laid out on the table. Just the smell and appearance made Bakugou’s stomach growl, but the more he looked the less excited he was to go in there.

Somebody - likely his mother - had placed large bottles of sake on the table, likely ready to drink the night away. It wasn’t that he cared when people drank around him- it was their choice to ruin their bodies, not his. What he didn’t like was how his mom acted after drinking. She could be mean, vicious and cruel without alcohol, but with the added beverage it made her more likely to physically lash out and cause harm. Namely to Bakugou.

Bakugou gave his parents a light-hearted smirk as he walked into the dining room. Whether he liked it or not didn’t matter; they had spent all day working on this meal so he could at least try to ignore the drinking. Maybe Mom would be so distracted by the food and having him home she would forget to drink at all.

“I can’t believe you’re going to be 17.” His father said as they all sat down around the table. “Seemed like just last week you were learning to walk.”

His mother chuckled. “I know; it’s about damn time he grew up.”

Bakugou couldn’t help but agree with his mother on that part. He’d wanted to be an adult for so long; the fact that he was one step closer to being one was one less thing he had to worry about. Bakugou pulled some of the food in front of him and watched as his parents did the same. It had only been a few weeks since he had seen them last, and already it seemed like some things about their appearances had changed.

His father had gotten paler than before, and he looked overly tired. He had grey hairs mixing in with his brown hair and large bags under his eyes. He didn’t have any bruises or anything, which was nice. At least his mother hadn’t gotten physically violent with him, but that didn’t mean that she wasn’t taking an emotional toll on him.

His mother, on the other hand, looked as beautiful and flawless as she had been the last time he saw her, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t getting grey streaks in her own hair. Bakugou suspected this had been happening for some time without him noticing, but it was clear, at least to him, that his parents had stopped putting on ‘masks’ around him.

The three ate in silence for a little while before Bakugou’s mother reached over and brushed his hair away. Bakugou flinched away from the touch as he fixed his hair back over his ear and looked at her with a curious scowl.

“What?”

“You’re wearing your hearing aids.” She said. “Why?”

“Because going deaf sucks.” Bakugou said simply.

His father looked at his other ear with a soft frown. “Those aren’t the ones we got you for middle school…”

“They were too small.” Bakugou lied. “U.A. supplied these ones for me.”

His mother frowned softly, and to Bakugou’s dismay she opened the bottle of sake and poured herself a glass. She took a gulp, then smiled over at Bakugou. “It’s good you’re wearing them. It was dangerous for you to keep training to be a hero when you couldn’t hear what was happening around you.”

“Yeah, that’s the reason I started wearing them again.” He grumbled.

“Did something happen?” His father asked.

“You could say that…”

“Did you get somebody hurt?” His mother quickly assumed.

Bakugou glared at her. “No. Nobody got hurt, and if they had, why do you assume it would be my fault?”

“There’s a lot of reasons I could assume it.” She took another drink. “Your attitude, your anger, your failure to control your quirk- your hearing is honestly one of the last things I would suspect would be responsible for it, but considering that’s the only thing that’s changed I have to assume that was the cause of it.”

Bakugou snarled. “What the fuck?! I have better control than half of the extras in my class and the strongest quirk in the entire school! So my quirk is the least of my fuckin’ problems.”

“Uh-huh.” She rolled her eyes. “If that’s really true, Katsuki, then why did you get kidnapped last summer?”

Bakugou’s stomach dropped and he pressed his lips tightly together.

“Mitsuki…” His father said softly. “That’s a bit too far, don’t you think?”

“Hardly. If he’s so confident in his quirk, then how did a bunch of ‘extras’ capture him and aid in his rescue? Hm? Let’s face it, we raised a kid who talks big but is just as weak as the students he used to bully. He might as well be quirkless like Izuku.”

“Stop.” Bakugou said gently.

“Oh, but wait, even Izuku ended up having a really powerful quirk, and helped rescue Katsuki when he got kidnapped like a quirkless loser.”

“Stop!” Bakugou snarled, standing up just in time to get slapped by his mother.

The burning pain in his cheek caused the rest of his body to run cold. He wanted nothing more than to hit her back, or yell at her, but he knew nothing good would come from getting violent back at her. Instead, Bakugou simply pressed his lips tightly together and sat back down with a scowl.

His mother glared, taking in a deep gulp of her drink as she sighed.

The three of them continued eating for a long while in silence. It was a silence Bakugou was more than used to eating in; after all, it wasn’t unusual for them to get into some kind of fight during a ‘family meal’. Bakugou also knew that this wasn’t the end of the ‘conversation’ his mother had started, and if it was she would undoubtedly start another just as upsetting and painful conversation. It wouldn’t be the first time and it definitely wouldn’t be the last.

Bakugou had almost finished his meal and his mother had just started on her second glass of sake when his father decided to try and change the subject.

“So, Katsuki, your mother and I were talking about changing your room into a workout room or a study over the summer. Would you mind if we did that?”

Bakugou frowned, about to answer when his mother spoke up.

“Why would he mind it? He knows he’s out of here when he graduates U.A.” His mother simply stated and Bakugou frowned.

He knew that was true, especially after the argument he and his mother had the day before Aizawa and All Might showed up at his house to tell him about the dorms. Living in the dorms had been a rescue from his own family, but now that he actually thought about it, he had no idea what he would do after U.A.. He always assumed he would be able to instantly start his hero career, but what if he couldn’t? What if his employers held him to the same standards his mother was, and used the same kinds of ‘blemishes’ in his history the way she did?

Would they look at the fact that he had been kidnapped by a slime criminal in middle school, kidnapped in high school, nearly rescued, then kidnapped again right in front of the heroes as a sign of weakness? Would they see his hearing problems as a situation he couldn’t work through? Mic had already been a hero when he realized he was going deaf; would he be able to have any of the chances his teacher had with his hearing problems?

“It’s fine, Dad.” Bakugou said. “Just let me know so I can pack up my shit.” He said with a grumble.

“We will.” His father smiled.

Dinner continued to be in an awkward silence until they all finished their meals and left the table, leaving his father to clean up after them. Bakugou was tempted to stay and help them but wasn’t able to even offer his help before his mother pulled him aside and took him into the living room. She sat down on the couch while Bakugou stood there anxiously.

“So, for real, what happened? What did you do?”

Bakugou glared, grinding his teeth together. “It wasn’t a big deal.”

“Bull-shit. With you, it’s always a big deal. So what the fuck did you do this time?”

“I just couldn’t hear. The building was collapsing and I couldn’t hear it. My classmates tried to warn me but I couldn’t hear them well enough to hear their warnings. Everybody got out just fine, though.” Bakugou crossed his arms over his chest.

His mother sighed, grumbling something under her breath as she gulped down the rest of her drink.

“What?” Bakugou asked.

“I said, you’re a fuckin’ embarrasment!” She shouted and Bakugou flinched as she stood back up quickly, throwing the glass down at the floor as it shattered. “I let you leave the house against my better judgement so I don’t have to deal with your sorry ass all day every day and you go and embarrass us? Embarrass me?!” She took a step forward, grabbing Bakugou by the throat and causing a frightened whimper to escape from his lips.

He reached up, grabbing her hands, resisting all urges to explode at her to try get her to back off. He knew getting mad at her would only result in more pain… but he couldn’t breathe.

His lungs burned, his head spun, his stomach clenched up, and he felt nauseous. The longer he wasn’t able to catch his breath the more memories came flashing back to him in detailed flashbacks. He could remember how the sludge villain tasted of dirt, slime, and motor oil, the way it forced its way down his throat to cut off his air, desperate to take over his body. Then he remembered the way the teleportation sludge had formed in his lungs, then crawled its way out like a cat trapped in a pillow case. They were two of the worst moments of his life, and he was being forced to relive them at the hands of his mother.

And this time, he couldn’t even fight back against the person causing him pain.

Thankfully, today’s hero came in the form of his father coming into the room to investigate the yelling and the shattered glass. Upon seeing the situation he jumped into action, grabbing Bakugou’s mother and yanking her away from their son. Her long red nails scratched up the sides of Bakugou’s throat as she was pulled away from him, but eventually Bakugou could breathe again.

“Mitsuki, stop!” Bakugou’s father pleaded as Bakugou scrambled backwards, holding his throat and coughing, doing all he could to catch his breath.

“You’re such a fuckin’ embarrassment, Katsuki! I wish you were never born!” She shouted.

Bakugou’s heart sank, tears stinging his eyes for a split second before he glared at her. “Fuck you! I hate you!” He shouted, then grabbed his backpack and ran out of the house, slamming the door behind him.

He was running so fast and so hard that he didn’t even realize it was raining outside until his hair was soaked and clinging to his face. His eyes and throat burned, his cheek ached where a bruise was undoubtedly beginning to form, but he didn’t care. He didn’t want to be near them. He didn’t want to even see her, didn’t want to hear her voice, didn’t even want to admit she existed.

Why couldn’t she be a good mom? Why couldn’t she love him like his classmates' moms did? Why did she hate him so goddamn much?!

By the time Bakugou stopped running his legs were shaking from the exertion when he still didn’t have a full breath. It wouldn’t have been a problem- after all, if he was near anything familiar like a park or something he could just hide out until sunrise- but instead he found himself outside of the Midoriya residence. Bakugou was hesitant going up the stairs to the apartment, but between the shitty weather, the fact that his neck was actually bleeding, and he could hardly catch a breath he figured the embarrassment of going to Auntie Inko was nothing compared to what he would feel if he got kidnapped again.

Bakugou marched up the stairs, his body shaking as he made it to the third floor to an apartment he knew well. He hadn’t been there in nearly 10 years, but the decorations on the outside seemed the same. He reached up slowly, feeling like that scared 7-year-old kid again as he brought his fist down on the door three times. The second the final knock hit the door every fiber of his being was telling him to run away before she opened the door, but by the time his feet actually responded the door opened and a small green-haired woman opened the door.

“Katsuki? What are you- oh my god, you’re hurt!” She said, not giving Bakugou time to argue before she gently took his hand and led him into the house. “What happened? Were you attacked?! Why are you away from U.A.?!”

Bakugou wanted to tell her to calm down, but he couldn’t raise his voice at her. He cleared his own throat. “I… was supposed to be having dinner with my parents.” He said softly, and Inko’s worried expression turned to sadness.

“Your… mother did this to you, didn’t she?”

Bakugou nodded slowly as Inko sighed, slowly pulling him into a hug.

“Sweetie… I’m so sorry… come in and get warmed up. You can sleep here for the night.”

“I-”

“That wasn’t a request. You’re sleeping here tonight. I have some clothes I bought for Izuku that are too big for him; they’re in the hall closet. Go ahead and take a shower and get dressed in those. He’s never worn them so they shouldn’t be dirty or anything. While you do that, I’ll make some tea.”

Bakugou wanted to argue against her kindness but eventually gave in, nodding slowly as he placed his backpack by the door and slipped off his shoes. He mumbled a ‘thank you’ before he made his way down the hall. As he walked through the hall to the closet he found that, like the outside of the apartment, the inside had stayed relatively the same in all the years he had been away. Even the contents of the hall closet seemed the same as it had been when he was a kid.

He grabbed the paper shopping bag off the shelf and looked inside. Inko hadn’t been exaggerating; there was an entire outfit in there with all the tags still attached. It was reassuring that Deku hadn’t worn any of the clothes, at least. He closed the closet, then carried the bag into the main bathroom, closing and locking the door behind him with a sigh.  
Just another shitty birthday to add onto the long list of shitty birthdays.

Inko waited until she heard the shower start up before she grabbed her phone, gently nibbling her lip as she called Yagi. He had given her his number as part of their agreement to let Izuku stay at the U.A. dorms. She needed to get ahold of their homeroom teacher Aizawa, but considering she didn’t have his number Yagi was the closest she could get. After a few moments a voice answered her, sounding concerned.

“Ms. Midoriya, how can I help you?”

“U-um, yes. Is there any way you can transfer me to A-Aizawa? Or hand the phone to him?”

“Aizawa-kun? He’s around here somewhere; just a moment.” She could hear Yagi start walking around before he finally spoke again. “Is everything alright?”

“Not… exactly. Katsuki… I-I mean, Bakugou; he just showed up at my house. He’s bleeding and bruised and I just… I don’t know what to do.” She said, her voice soft.

Yagi was quiet for a long time before he replied. “I am not entirely sure why young Bakugou is away from the dorms or perhaps I could help you… but I found Aizawa-kun, so maybe he could help you.”

She heard Yagi and another male answer before a new voice came onto the phone.

“Ms. Midoriya?”

“I-is this Aizawa-sensei?”

“Yes. Yagi says Bakugou is there; can you tell me what you know?”

“O-of course. U-um… well, Katsuki showed up at my door about five minutes ago. H-he has a black eye and his neck is bruised and bleeding. H-he didn’t say anything out loud, but… I just know his mother is responsible.”

A long pause. “Are you sure?”

“Y-yeah. He used to come over bruised and beaten all the time, but… this is the first time I’ve seen blood drawn. J-just… what do you want me to do? W-why is he away from U.A.?”

“He was supposed to be staying the night with his parents to celebrate his birthday.” He said, and Inko instantly looked at her calendar with a frown. It had been so long since she had seen Katsuki that she hadn’t remembered. “I was going to pick him up from his house tomorrow afternoon… though I suppose that’s out of the question now.”

“He can stay here.” Inko said quickly. “I have no problem letting him stay the night.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. I’ll take him back to the school tomorrow morning, but with the storm raging outside I would be more comfortable with him staying here and sleeping.”

“Alright, I will have Yagi text you my private number. If anything happens, please keep me updated. I will do what I can from my end to make sure that Bakugou is safe in the future.”

“That’s all I ask… thank you.”

“No… thank you, Ms. Midoriya, for watching out for my students. Have a good night.”

“Y-yeah, you too, Aizawa-Sensei. G-good night.”

The connection died and Inko sighed. She felt bad telling on her old friend like that, but considering the damage she had done to her own son she hardly considered Mitsuki a friend anymore. She would protect Katsuki even if it cost her their friendship. She had failed him once already; she refused to do it again.

Inko walked to the kitchen, putting a kettle of water on the stove, and as she waited for it to warm up she prepared the tea. Knowing now that it was his birthday she felt terrible not having any sweets in the house, though thinking back on it she wasn’t even sure if he liked sweets or not. What could she do to cheer him up if not give him sweets or any kind of birthday cake? How would Katsuki like to celebrate his birthday?

Inko sighed, frowning at the two mugs in front of her. How could she help a boy that she hadn’t seen in years and was likely more damaged than she would ever know?

Bakugou stepped out of the bathroom, his hair still slightly damp and his dirty wet clothing in the paper bag to prevent them from making a mess. He slowly looked around the familiar yet foreign living room, hesitant to go any further into the lion’s den. He gulped down his anxiety and walked into the living room, noticing Inko standing in the kitchen looking intently at two mugs. Bakugou frowned, tilting his head.

“Did they offend you or somethin’?”

Inko let out a startled squeak, jumping before she looked at Bakugou. “Ah, no- I just got to thinking, is all.” She chuckled and Bakugou frowned.

He knew how awkward this was. They had hardly left on good terms, and knowing that neither of them had told Deku the real reason why Bakugou ‘didn’t want’ to be his friend anymore was a secret that had created a wall neither of them were able to cross, but were both desperate to get through.

“Sorry for bothering you… Ms. Midoriya…”

“Oh, honey. You know you can still call me Auntie.” She said, smiling at him as she carefully poured water into both mugs. 

“I… can?”

“Of course. Just because I haven’t seen you in a while doesn’t mean you’re not my family.” She carried the cups to the table, placing them down and gesturing towards the table. “Have a seat.”

“Y-yeah… okay.” Bakugou hesitated before walking over to the table and slowly sitting down. He was hesitant to let his guard down around Inko, but once the older woman began blowing on her tea the tense feeling in the air started to ebb away. Bakugou took a sip of his tea, flinching when the hot drink agitated the already scratchy feeling in his throat.

“So, how's school going?” She asked him.

“Fine…”

“Have you made any friends?”

Bakugou thought for a moment, then nodded. “A couple ex- …a couple of my classmates follow me around and are tolerable, so… I guess.”

“That’s good!” She beamed. “How are your classes? Do you have a favorite?”

“Hero Studies.”

“That’s where you practice being a hero, right? You go through drills and stuff?” Inko asked and Bakugou nodded, taking another sip.

“Pretty much, yeah.”

“That’s good; with how hard you’ve worked I’m sure you rock that class.” She beamed and Bakugou felt his throat tighten again.

He forgot how good it felt to talk to her, how kind and calming she was. How she listened and tried to understand instead of belittling his every move. He forgot what it was like to feel at home with somebody.

“Most of the time… I kinda fucked up a few days ago…”

“Oh? I’m sure that’s not true; what happened?”

“I…” Bakugou sighed, reaching up to his ear as he pulled out one of his hearing aids and placed it on the table. “My ears weren’t working again and… I didn’t say anything. I tried to play it off like it was no big deal, but when something went wrong in Hero Studies… I couldn’t even tell. I nearly got myself and another student buried alive… or worse.”

Inko frowned, reaching over and touching the top of his hand gently. “While I admit you should have gone to your teachers, you are not responsible for when accidents happen around you. You’re still learning how to do things, how to be a hero, and how to ask for help when and if you need it. What you need to do now is learn from what happened and make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

Bakugou’s bottom lip trembled slightly as tears pricked his eyes. He nodded slowly. “Y-yeah…” He put his hearing aid back in his ear. “I’m doing what I can, but… w-when I told Mom what happened...” He reached up, touching his neck, which had started to scab over where her nails had dug in. “She told me I was an embarrassment and that she wished I was never born. I-I ran out of the house and… I guess my feet carried me here.”

“Oh, Katsuki…” Inko frowned sadly, tears dripping down her own face. “You’re always welcome here, and you always have been. I know we haven’t spoken in a long time but I never stopped thinking about you. I’m sorry I didn’t do more for you when you were younger, but I promise I won’t let anything more happen to you.”

“B-but…”

“But nothing. As far as I’m concerned you’re just as much my son as Izuku is. You always have been.”

Bakugou let the tears roll down his face and he quickly began swiping at them with the back of the long-sleeved shirt. He sniffled softly, trying to cover up the fact that he was crying, but the harder he tried the faster the tears flowed down his face. He started babbling out apologies to Inko: saying sorry about bullying Deku, and for keeping them out of his life, and for any cruel thing he has ever done towards them, He apologized for putting Deku through hell, and calling him ‘Quirkless’ all the time. He then went on to promise that he would try to be better, that he would try to be nicer to Deku to make up for everything he had done, and by the time he finished rambling, Inko had finished her tea.

“It’s okay, Katsuki.” She said, smiling. “You did what you needed to do to make your mother happy, even if it made the rest of us miserable. But you don’t have to listen to her anymore. You’re your own person and can do whatever you want to do with your life.” She reached over, brushing his blond hair out of his face and behind his ear. “You don’t have to be the bully anymore.”

Bakugou let out a sob. “I-I don’t know how to be anything else.”

“You’ll learn. You’re a very smart kid, and when you put your mind to something you stick to it. But admitting there is a problem is the first step, and I’m glad I was here to see you take it.”

The rest of the night was a blur to Bakugou, and he wasn’t even aware of what was going on around him until he woke up early the next morning on the Midoriya Household’s couch. He had a large white blanket over him and a soft blue pillow under him, things he couldn’t remember going to bed with but was thankful to have. Sitting across from him on the coffee table was his hearing aids, a half-empty bottle of water, and his clothes from yesterday washed and folded in a neat little pile.

Bakugou sat up, rubbing at his eyes with the back of his hands as he looked around. He still felt exhausted, but considering how much he had cried the night before he wasn’t entirely surprised. He just wanted to curl back up on the couch and sleep for another million years, but judging by the smell that was filling the room Inko was already awake and making breakfast.

Bakugou grabbed his hearing aids off the table and slipped them into his ears before turning them on. Just as he suspected, he could now hear the sizzling of the bacon and the clanking of pots from the kitchen. He got off the couch, folding up the blanket before gently placing it on the couch and then the pillow on top of it. He had already burdened Inko this much; she didn’t need to clean up after him, too.

Once he cleaned up after himself he walked into the kitchen with a frown.

“Mornin’.”

“Good morning, Katsuki. Happy Birthday.”

Bakugou softly tilted his head. She had remembered? Probably not, but it was nice to hear it from her, at least. Bakugou smiled lightly. “Thanks.”

“I couldn’t remember if you liked pancakes and bacon but I made them. Hopefully it’s good.”

“Your cooking has always been good, Auntie…” He said gently, walking over and looking over her shoulder at the food. “Do you need help?”

Inko chuckled, “Oh, no you don’t. It’s your birthday; you’re forbidden from helping me. That being said, I wasn’t expecting you so I wasn’t able to get you a present or anything. I hope you’ll accept those clothes as a present.”

Bakugou smirked slightly. “Even if you had been expecting me, you don’t gotta get me shit, but… thanks. And thanks for washin’ my clothes.”

“Of course; I didn’t want them growing mildew just sitting in the bag.” She seemed hesitant for a moment. “Katsuki… I have something to say, and I would like it if you wouldn’t get mad.”

“Um… okay?”

“Last night, while you were in the shower, I contacted Yagi and Aizawa to tell them what I knew of the situation.” She said gently and Bakugou felt his hair stand on end. He didn’t like the sound of that at all. “They didn’t tell me what they were planning to do about the future, but we agreed that I would be taking you back to the school after breakfast.”

Bakugou was shaking, but rather than shaking with anger it was with fear. “What’s… going to happen to me? W-will they kick me out of the hero course?”

“What?” Inko looked at him as Bakugou clenched his shirt in his fist. “Oh, honey,” She took the pan off the stove before she gently rubbed his upper arms. “Of course they won’t, sweetie. What your mother did to you was not your fault in the least, so there is no reason to blame you for anything. I can only assume that they are going to do what they can to prevent your mother from hurting you again in the future. Does that make sense?”

Bakugou nodded slowly.

“Good. If they even think about kicking you out of the course they’ll have to deal with me.” She smiled, and Bakugou forced a timid smile back at her. “Now, have a seat at the table. I’ll bring breakfast over.”

“Yeah… alright…” Bakugou walked over to the kitchen table, sitting down once again as he gently pressed his lips together. Part of him was mad, but not at Inko. He was mad at himself. He knew that what his mother had been doing to him wasn’t right; it was half of the reason he and Deku had stopped being friends. It was to protect him from being abused like Bakugou was. She had been the one to drill ‘quirkless’ into Bakugou’s head.

If he spent time with somebody who was ‘quirkless’ he was an embarrassment to the family. Bakugou had always been an asshole to Deku, but compared to some of the things his mother tried to convince him to say to Deku, he could have been so much worse. There were just lines that never should have been crossed. Bakugou just hoped it was easier to accept from him rather than his mother or the other adults in his life. Though looking back on it he doubted it had been any easier.

Now that he was thinking back on it… when was the last time he had heard Deku laugh? He didn’t even hear him laugh around his friends. Was he in just as shitty mental state as Bakugou was?

Bakugou jumped slightly as Inko placed a serving of pancakes and bacon in front of him. “Thanks, Auntie.”

“Any time. It’s been a bit since I’ve had anybody to cook for; it’s nice.” She smiled gently.

The two ate in a comfortable silence, something that was almost unheard of in the Bakugou household. It was almost unnerving, but Inko didn’t seem bothered by it in the slightest. What did Deku and Inko talk about during meals? Did they just sit in silence or did Deku’s rambling fill in the conversation gaps? Considering he could talk for hours without even trying it wasn’t hard to imagine that Deku could fill the silence.

But Bakugou wasn’t Deku. He hardly knew what to say or do in these kinds of situations. Did he have to say something? Should he start up a conversation and hope that it made sense and didn’t completely ruin the mood? Maybe just keeping his mouth shut was the best way to go. He didn’t want to upset Inko or make her mad at him, too. If Deku was any kind of indication of how Inko got when she was actually angry, it was a side of her he never wanted to see.

“You’re 17 today, right?” Inko asked and Bakugou nodded gently.

“Yeah.”

“Oh my goodness, where has the time gone? It’s still a few months until Izuku’s birthday so I haven’t thought much about it, but now that I have birthdays on my mind I should probably figure out what to get him.”

Bakugou was quiet for a moment before he spoke. “You made him his first costume, right? The one he ruined during the first lesson?”

She blushed slightly and chuckled under her breath. “I suppose it wasn’t quite as durable as it needed to be.”

Bakugou shrugged. “Why not make him another pair? He seemed to like it a lot, so why not make him another one? Maybe as pajamas or something; I don’t fuckin’ know.”

Inko sat there for a moment before she smiled. “That’s a great idea. Thank you, Katsuki.”

“I didn’t do nothing; just suggested somethin’ you’d probably figure out by yourself.”

“I wouldn’t say that. I was just going to try and find something ‘All Might’ that he didn’t have.” She chuckled. “The pajamas are a much more unique idea.”

Bakugou took a bite of his pancakes, trying to ignore the very slight blush on his face. “Whatever.”

An hour later Inko drove Bakugou back to the school, promising to talk to his father about getting the rest of his items from home before she left. Bakugou tried to convince her not to worry about it- after all, it wasn’t her problem to clean up his family's mess- but the woman insisted, and once any of the Midoriyas got something in their heads it was impossible to talk them out of it. Bakugou waved as Inko drove away before he made his way towards the dorms.

It was only around 11 am on a weekend so he was sure at least a handful of his classmates would still be sleeping, but he knew it would be impossible to keep the bruise hidden from the rest of his classmates, especially if they were all gathered around in the main room. It was annoying but it would be something he would just have to deal with; after all, the weekend had been a shit-show. Why not add onto it? He had almost made it to the dorms when his eyes landed on Aizawa, seemingly waiting for him in front of the dorms.

Bakugou walked over and Aizawa scanned his face, then his neck.

“Do you need to see Recovery Girl?” He asked.

Bakugou shook his head. “For some scratches? No; no reason to bother her for somethin’ like this.”

Aizawa sighed. “Why didn’t you tell me, problem child?”

“I didn’t think it was a problem.” Bakugou shrugged.

“Didn’t think it-” Aizawa groaned inwardly as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “Of course it’s a problem, Bakugou. An adult laying a hand on a child of any age, especially one of their own kids, is a problem. Are you alright? Any other injuries aside from the obvious?”

Again Bakugou shook his head. “Nope.”

“Alright… head on into the dorms; we’ll deal with this another day… for now, just try to enjoy your birthday.” He said, patting Bakugou on the shoulder.

“Yeah. Thanks.” Bakugou said tightly, then walked past his teacher into the dorms.

Bakugou pushed open the dorm doors as he walked inside with Aizawa close behind. The second he stepped through the threshold he was met by a popper going off nearby. He jumped, turning towards the sound as his eyes landed on the main sitting area. His class, as well as Yagi, Present Mic, and Eri were gathered in the main sitting room. He looked at all of them, shocked as the majority shouted ‘HAPPY BIRTHDAY!’ loud enough to cause feedback in his hearing aids.

Bakugou flinched, looking at all of them. “What the fuck?” He grumbled,

“We were going to do this later today, but All Might told us that you were coming back early.” Mina said excitedly, sitting next to Hagakure, who was bouncing happily in her seat. “So surprise!”

“Dude, what happened to your face?!” Sero asked.

“Can’t be away for one day, huh, Kacchan?” Kaminari teased, sticking out his tongue.

“None of your business, soy sauce face.” Bakugou snapped.

“Is that a present from your mom?” Deku asked, leaning over. “My mom shops from there too!” He beamed.

Bakugou was about to snarl at him, saying something like he ‘didn’t care’ or to tell him to ‘fuck off’, but considering what Inko had done for him and the promise he had made her he bit his cheek and grumbled. “Yeah.”

“Aww! One day away from home and he’s matured so much!” Mina teased.

“Our baby boy is growing up so fast.” Jiro joined in.

“But… Bakugou is the oldest of us… how is he your ‘baby boy’?” Todoroki asked and a good portion of the class laughed, though Bakugou noticed Midoriya only smirked before he began explaining it to him.

“No, Todoroki-kun, they’re picking on Kacchan.”

“Oh…” Todoroki hummed softly. “I don’t understand…”

Kirishima walked over to Bakugou, smiling at him as he pulled him into a hug. Bakugou resisted all urges to blow up the redhead as Kirishima said, “Happy Birthday, Bakubro!”

“Yeah… thanks.”

“Now that Bakugou is here, I can sing the Happy Birthday Song!” Mic said loudly. “I’ve been practicing it for just such an occasion!”

Bakugou groaned as Mic began to sing. He quickly flicked off his hearing aids, which was the only thing saving him from the same fate as his classmates when their teacher started getting too loud.


	5. Chapter Four: Sex-Ed With 2-A

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes for this chapter: Mild-homophobia, talks of sex, talks of gender/gender dysphoria, sexuality discussions.
> 
> Sorry this chapter is so late I've been sick in bed for over a week now.

Things were quiet for the class of 2-A for two days after Bakugou’s birthday. Aizawa’s main focus was on making sure that Bakugou didn’t have to go home for holidays unless he specifically wanted to, and that if he did go home he was safe. But then a new problem showed up in the form of a hickey on Ojiro’s neck. To say the least it was a shock for Aizawa to see, especially when he hadn’t thought about his students having sex, but now that they were at least getting ‘handsy’ it was clear just how blind and naive he had been.

There were 20+ students between the ages of 16-17 living together in dorms 7 days a week, 10 months of the year. They were hormonal, curious, and maybe even confused about what they were feeling, which was all something Aizawa should have realized a lot sooner.

How could Aizawa bring it up, though? He had been in a relationship for close to 6 years now, but he had no idea how to explain what he experienced personally to his students in a way that was appropriate. How did he bring up ‘sexual safety’, ‘consent’, and other important subjects? He wasn’t fully experienced in those areas… but he knew somebody who was.

Now if only he could get her to stop laughing.

“Ojiro?! Really?!” Midnight laughed loudly. “I would expect that kind of stuff from Bakugou or Mina or maybe even Kaminari, but Ojiro?! I didn’t think he was interested in that kind of thing!”

Aizawa sighed, resisting his urge to sink into the capture weapon around his neck. For some reason he felt embarrassed about the situation.

“Are you sure it’s not just a bruise? A result of his training by chance?” Cementoss asked and Aizawa nodded.

“I’m sure. The coloring, shape, size, and position all point to being a hickey.” He said grumpily.

“I wonder who gave it to him.” 13 hummed from her desk, gently drumming her fingers on the wooden surface as she thought. “He’s a kind and responsible boy; I don’t think he would let anyone get away with kissing- let alone sucking right there…” She hummed.

Aizawa had a few suspects in mind, but only knew of one student that Ojiro would allow to do something like that. Sure, he had plenty of friends in class but Hagakure was the only student he had shown a romantic attraction towards. Of course, being invisible, she could have done it at any time without Aizawa even realizing it.

Aizawa shook his head and sighed. “It doesn’t matter who gave it to him.” He said. “The point is if it’s happening with one of my students it’s probably happening with the rest of them as well, and now they’re starting to act on those feelings. We need to express the importance of safety, consent, and at least try to put it in their heads that pregnancy is a real risk no matter what age they are. Let’s face it; the last thing any of us want is a bunch of pregnant teenagers walking around. It’s bad enough their periods are all starting to sync up with one another; I don’t need any more emotions to deal with from that class.”

“Aww.” Midnight smiled. “Don’t worry, Papa Bear, I’ll come in tomorrow and teach them all about it. But we should also make sure to cover other subjects, too.”

Aizawa glared at her suspiciously. “What ‘other subjects’?”

“We should explain as many of the sexualities as we can, as well as some of the genders. This could be their first time learning about that kind of stuff and they should learn it here instead of struggling with it on their own later.”

Aizawa clenched his fist tightly and tried to ignore the confused expression that flashed across Midnight’s face. “You’re right. I suspect at least one of my students has been struggling with their gender identity; I just haven’t figured out how to bring it up to them.” He admitted.

“Well, this will give you the chance you need to reach out to them.” Cementoss said.

13 looked over at Midnight. “If you need any examples of being ‘Gender-Neutral’, feel free to use me.” She smiled.

“Really? I didn’t know you were gender-neutral.” Midnight said, surprised.

13 nodded. “I use ‘she’ because it’s easiest for my students to remember, but it’s never felt right. Though ‘he’ doesn’t feel right, either. I would prefer to be called ‘they/them’ but it’s a little late in my career to change it.”

“It’s never too late to change, 13.” Aizawa said seriously.

“Really? But wouldn’t it be a hassle for everybody to-”

Aizawa held up his hand. “If they care for you, 13, they’ll learn. If you’re uncomfortable being called ‘he’ or ‘she’ then you shouldn’t have to keep quiet. You’re an amazing person, and you deserve to be comfortable. Anybody who says otherwise doesn’t matter.”

13 was quiet for a moment before she- no, they- let out a soft sniffle. “Thank you, Aizawa-senpai.”

Aizawa nodded, looking at the clock. “I should get to my class before the students arrive.” He said, getting to his feet and walking towards the door.

“Good luck~” Midnight called after him.

Aizawa didn’t mention the change in the lesson plans to his students to prevent any of them from running away or skipping the lesson, so when the next day arrived all of his students were present to attend the important lesson. So when Midnight arrived for Heroic Arts, instead of teaching them how to ‘look good’ and ‘improve their ratings’ within the public ranks she decided to teach them a more important lesson.

“Hello, lovelies.” She said as she walked into the room.

Aizawa tried not to roll his eyes at the way Mineta and some of the other male students seemed to drool over the woman while some of the girls got uncomfortable as they compared themselves to their teacher. Which reminded Aizawa that they needed to cover mental health eventually. It was painful seeing so much of his class sink in their chair or cover themselves because they were comparing themselves to others. They were all perfect, but how could he make them see that?

Aizawa shook his head. Another lesson for another day.

“Today Midnight will be covering an important lesson.” Aizawa started, noticing how Midoriya quickly pulled out a notebook, ready to take notes. He almost wanted to laugh but felt that maybe Midoriya had the right idea. Even if the subject was potentially embarrassing it was important. “I want you all to pay close attention, because this could make or break your career.”

He didn’t mean to make it sound as scary as he did, but he was completely serious.

Some of the more serious students- Bakugou, Todoroki, Yaoyorozu, Tokoyami, Midoriya, Iida, and Uraraka- all sat up visibly straighter while others seemed more curious and confused about what she was actually there to teach.

Midnight smirked before she sat on a chair at the front of the class, crossing one leg over the other. “Now, what we’re going to talk about is a bit embarrassing, but very important, which is why they chose an expert- moi -to come in and talk to you about it.” She said, looking strangely serious. Not that Aizawa was surprised; this subject was important, especially to Midnight.   
“Today we’ll be talking about sex.”

Many of the students blushed, others groaned uncomfortably, Shinsou shrunk in his chair, and Mineta seemed to physically vibrate with excitement.

“Not just sex, though; we’ll be covering sex safety, consent, and the sexualities and genders that go along with such a subject.”

Iida raised his hand quickly and Midnight pointed at him. He stood up quickly. “Why is this knowledge important for our careers as heroes?” He asked.

“Great question.” Midnight said with a smile, her voice unusually soft. “In the future you may come across somebody who has been physically or sexually abused, be it by a villain, stranger, or a family member. You’ll need to know this stuff to not only help them, but to also protect yourself from the same kind of trauma.”

Aizawa looked over the class carefully. Everybody seemed uncomfortable now, including Mineta, and Bakugou refused to look up from his desk as he rubbed his arm. At least they seemed to understand the importance of the situation now.

“I understand. Thank you, Midnight-Sensei, for clearing that up.” Iida said simply, then sat back down.

“Of course. Now, as I mentioned before this subject can be embarrassing and uncomfortable, but it’s one that everybody needs to learn at some point. If afterwards you feel uncomfortable, please, feel free to bring it up to me, Aizawa-Sensei, or any teacher or guardian that you trust. We’re all here to listen and help you. Now, let’s begin with the first and most important thing: Consent. Can anybody tell me what that word means?”

Yaoyorozu was the first to raise her hand. “Permission?”

“Exactly. In this case, if you give somebody permission to touch you, you are giving them your consent. If you change your mind or tell them no, then they do not have your consent. If they do not have your consent and they touch you in a sexual manner they are breaking the law. It’s sexual assault and rape. That being said, if somebody tells you ‘no’ and you touch them anyways you are breaking the law. Understand?” Midnight narrowed her eyes as she scanned the class. She didn’t look at anyone specifically, but Mineta seemed ashamed as he looked down at his desk. “Great. Now that we’ve covered that we’re going to talk about the different sexualities.

“There are a lot, so we won’t be able to cover them all in a single lesson, but we can discuss the most common ones. Straight - or heterosexuality - is the most common. It’s when somebody has a sexual preference towards the opposite gender. Plain and simple, cut-and-dry, boys like girls, girls like boys. Bi-sexuals are people who like both male and female. They’re the second most common, but are often looked over, downplayed as straight or gay depending on their partner, or compared to pansexuality. Pansexuals are different to Bisexuals because they’re attracted to anybody no matter their physical gender or gender identity. Basically, as long as you’re human, you count. Any questions so far?”

There weren’t any.

“Great, then we’ll continue. The next sexuality is homosexuality.” Midnight said, and it was hard for Aizawa to ignore the scoff from somewhere in the class, which only made the students more uncomfortable. “It seems like some of you know what that means, but I’ll explain anyways. Homosexuality covers both the ‘lesbian’ and ‘gay’ sexualities, and it means you are attracted to the same gender that you identify as. Girls like girls and boys like boys. Next are the Asexuals, or ‘Aces’, as many people call them. These are the ones who feel little to no sexual attraction to a person no matter the gender. This doesn’t mean they can’t fall in love or live a normal life, it just means they don’t have the same sexual urges that most people feel. That being said, there is a ‘branch’ of Asexuals that are called ‘Demi-Sexuals’, meaning they can eventually feel a sexual pull, but only towards a person they have a strong emotional bond with. Usually friends or people they’ve known for months or years.”

That finally seemed to catch some of the students' attention, especially Shoji and Tokoyami. It was almost reassuring to see his students realize more about themselves.

Kaminari slowly raised his hand. “What do you mean by ‘identify as’?” He asked.

Midnight smiled. “Another great question. That actually leads up to our next topic: the different genders.” She flipped the posiiton of her legs so her left was now over her right. “Like the different sexualities, there are too many genders to cover in class, so we will once again go over the most common ‘gender identities’.

“There’s the gender you’re born as; whether it be male or female. Usually that can be referred to as your sex by people who have a differing one. Your sex is what you’re born as, your gender is however you identify. As some people grow, their… spirit, if you will, feels different than what they’re seeing in the mirror. More often than not, your brain is trying to tell you that you’re the opposite gender, and in such a case they are ‘Transgender’. If someone is born female but identify as a male, they are an FtM Transgender person. If they were born male but identify as female, they are an MtF Transgender person.”

Aoyama raised his hand. “Madam, what if you don’t identify as either, or a mix of both?”

“Hm… that one is a bit tougher. If you identify as both you can be considered ‘Genderfluid’, which means the gender you identify as changes day to day or month to month or between certain situations, but if you don’t identify as either you could be Agender or Gender-Neutral.” She smiled. “But you would have to do your own research or talk to an expert to know for sure. That being said, I’m not an expert in gender identities. I was born a female and I identify as a female, however some of your teachers may identify as other genders. For example, 13-sensei came out as gender-neutral earlier today.”

Some of the students' faces lit up, especially Aoyama’s.

“Are there any transgender teeachers?” Jiro asked quickly, and Aizawa nodded.

“A few.” He said, and Midnight glanced at him. “However, those subjects tend to be sensitive, so be careful when bringing up such topics.”

“Is it… okay to identify as different genders? Or if we’re not heterosexual?” Mina asked, jumping up and down in her chair. It was nice to see everybody getting involved now.

“Of course.” Midnight nodded with a smile. “U.A. accepts and caters to all students, whether it be different genders or sexualities. You’re here to learn, not only to be a hero but also to learn and understand who you are as a person. That being said, though, some adults - staff not included - and some of your peers may not be as understanding. We can protect you from any bullying or harassment, but only if you tell us about it. If you’re being bullied or harassed for your sexuality, gender identity, or are being bullied in general please tell somebody.”

Aizawa glanced around at his students. They clearly had more questions on the subject, but it was hard for them to ask openly about it. He needed to bring it up to some of them, but how did he do it without drawing attention to the students he knew needed help? Aizawa cleared his throat. “If you need help getting more comfortable with your gender, go to Recovery Girl or any of your teachers. You can be provided with binders for those who need them, and with a note from your parents and a trained medical professional outside of U.A., we may be able to get you started on testosterone or estrogen, if you feel you need them or plan on fully transitioning after High School.”

A pair of yellow-gold eyes widened excitedly from the middle of the room as the students seemed to relax. There. The information was out now and their identity was safe. Now Midnight could continue with her part of the lesson.

“Now, onto my favorite part of the lesson! Sex safety!” Midnight said happily.

Mineta, who had lost interest for a while, seemed excited to get back to the lesson while the rest of the class one again looked uncomfortable by the topic.

“First things first. Always use a condom. Even if you’re in a homosexual relationship and there isn’t the risk of a pregnancy there is a risk of other things, such as STD’S, UTI’S, ect. Also, before you do any kind of sexual act know your status. Make sure you’re healthy before you have sex so that you don’t run the risk of infecting your partner. Recovery Girl runs tests for STD’s and such whenever you get your blood drawn, so I can assure you that your entire class is clean but that doesn’t mean that everybody in the school has the same status. So make sure you check with your partner before getting busy.” She winked at no one in particular. “Also, if you’re allergic to latex make sure you check the condom package. The last thing you want is an allergic reaction in or on your private parts!”

“Don’t reuse condoms.” Aizawa added. “Or use condoms with holes or rips.” Aizawa said, his arms crossed.

“‘If it’s not new, don’t use!’.” Midnight sang. “Also, check the expiration date on your condoms. Expired condoms are more likely to rip.”

There were a few mutters throughout the class, many of which were about condom expiration dates and not knowing there was such a thing. Midoriya was still taking notes, but now some of the other students were as well.

“Avoid doing drugs or alcohol before you have sex, because a) it’s illegal most of the time, and b) because it makes it harder for you to remember your choices, what happens, and can sometimes lead to a sexual assault or a charge of one. If you do drink, make sure you’re with trusted friends who will watch over you and make sure you don’t do anything you’ll regret.”

“Never take a drink from somebody you don’t know.” Aizawa said. “Or leave your drink unattended.”

Midnight smiled. “Try to keep your ‘body count’ low and stay faithful to your partners! The more people you sleep with the more likely you are to get hurt or infected with an STD. If you have any toys, keep them clean. A dirty toy can cause just as many problems as a dirty lover.”

Aizawa looked at his watch. They were running out of time for the lesson. He cleared his throat. “Keeping all of this in mind, accidents can and do happen. You can still get an STD, UTI’s, or even get pregnant with the use of condoms. The only way to avoid these things completely is to avoid sex, but I understand that things happen suddenly. When the moment is right, it can change everything. If you think you’re sick, get hurt, or hell - end up getting pregnant- come to us right away. The sooner your teacher, doctor, or parent knows the sooner we can make things better for you. Whether it be medicine for an infection, a counselor, advice on what to do, or even calling a social worker we can help you. You can still be a hero with a kid or an STD. It’s harder, but not impossible. Any more questions?”

Todoroki, who hadn’t said a word the entire time, raised his hand. “If somebody did get pregnant or sick, would they be expelled?”

“No.” Both Midnight and Aizawa said together and a good portion of the class let out a held breath.

“You worked hard to get where you are and we won’t stop you from going farther. Training would be changed but it wouldn’t have to stop.” Midnight explained.

“If you do get pregnant and want to take time out of school, you could come back whenever you wanted to.” Aizawa continued.

There didn’t seem to be any more questions.

“Now, to wrap this up, I have one last thing to say. Now that you know everything you need to know about sex, consent, genders, and sexualities, you will be held responsible for your actions. Consent is important, and if you break it - you’re breaking the law and will be expelled on the spot without hesitation. Understood?” Aizawa said, glaring daggers across the room, specifically at Mineta, who shrunk down under his gaze.


	6. Chapter Five: Todoroki's Cold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the super late update with this one you guys, my personal life has been super crazy and between hospital visits, family issues, and just general drama in my life it took a bit more time to get this one edited and post it. That being said I'm going to hopefully start back up with the once a week updates on this story and hopefully will be wrapping up Heat Of Our Love sooner than later (so if you're waiting for that it is coming I just need more time). 
> 
> Chapter Warning: Sickfic, Detailed illness, mentions of Child Abuse, Dadzawa

Midoriya first noticed it that morning. Todoroki was more pale than normal and seemed uncomfortable in his uniform, but after Midnight’s sex-ed class Midoriya had all but forgotten about his friend’s discomfort. After all, everybody was uncomfortable by that point. However, when school was over and nighttime came it was clear that something was wrong with Todoroki.  
Midoriya looked at his friend, who was sitting across the table from him as Todoroki let out a soft sniffle. The rest of the ‘study group’ hadn’t noticed anything, but as loudly as Iida and Uraraka were talking it was easy to miss. Aside from the sniffling, though, there was a very soft sheen of sweat on both sides of his face.

Midoriya frowned softly as Todoroki sighed.

“I’m done.” He said, closing his homework book.

“Already, kero? That’s impressive even for you, Todoroki.” Tsu said, looking up from her spot on the table as she tilted her head.

“Todoroki, are you-” Midoriya began but Todoroki stood up.

“I’m going to bed. Good night.” He simply stated, walking away.

“Good night!” Uraraka called after him.

“Do you think he’s alright?” Iida asked and Uraraka chuckled.

“I’m sure he’s fine! He might just want to do some research about what Midnight taught us earlier.” Uraraka pointed out. “I know that’s what I’m going to do when I’m done.”

“I suppose even Todoroki would want his privacy upon doing such research!” Iida boomed.

Midoriya was hesitant to agree. That was the Todoroki he knew. Todoroki hardly had any kind of filter; he didn’t care what people thought about him and voiced his thoughts without any kind of a censor, but Midoriya doubted that would change over a sex-ed lesson. 

No… there had to be something else going on with his friend. But what? Was he coming down with something? Could Todoroki even get sick with his quirk? How did they handle it if he did   
get sick? Should Midoriya mention this to Aizawa or was he just being a hypochondriac?

Midoriya shook his head. Todoroki would be fine; he just needed some time.

…Right?

All throughout the night Midoriya tossed and turned, worried about his friend’s mental and physical state. He couldn’t get past the feeling that something was wrong with Todoroki, but he was unsure how to bring it up to him. Would Todoroki even open up to him if he asked about it or would Todoroki try to play it off like he was ‘fine’ and that he could handle it alone?

They had been friends for almost a year… yet Midoriya hardly felt like he understood Todoroki. He knew of his friend’s rough and painful childhood, he knew his favorite food, and what his family was like, but everything else Todoroki seemed to keep close to his vest. It was almost as though Todoroki felt he had to protect everything else, like the few things in his life that had managed to slip away were going to come back and hurt him in the future.

How could Midoriya show to his friend that he was safe around him?

Midoriya sighed, sitting up in his bed as his alarm clock began going off. He had hardly slept and really didn’t feel like going for a jog, but it didn’t matter that he ‘didn’t feel like it’. He needed to get up and push through it. If he didn’t keep his body in top form, his Quirk would rip him apart at the seams. Todoroki, his concerns, and rest would have to wait.

Midoriya climbed out of bed, putting on his jogging shorts and a graphic t-shirt before he slipped on his shoes and left his dorm room, heading to the elevator. Once inside the metal box Midoriya hesitated, the nagging feeling that he should check on his friend still digging at the back of his mind. Again, though, Midoriya pushed past the fear and hit the ground floor button, letting the box encase him as it lowered him to the main floor.

Once he reached the lobby his feet seemed hesitant to move, as though doing all it could to convince him to turn around, but still he pushed forward, basically dragging himself out the front door and into the cold morning air. Once outside, the air seemed to snap him out of his daze. His body relaxed, he was able to move around freely, and after a few moments he was fully immersed in his jog.

Midoriya did his typical jogging route, two loops around the main school yard while following the path. It took about half an hour to do the loop a single time, so by the time he was done a full hour had passed. The sun was mostly up by this point, though the sky still had a slight orange hue to it, letting them know that it was still only dawn.

The rest of the class would be waking up and getting ready for the school day, so Midoriya was a little startled when he walked in and saw that only Iida and Yaoyorozu were awake. Normally by this point Bakugou and Kirishima were starting to move too, so where was everybody? Did everybody end up getting sick last night?  
Just when panic was really starting to kick in the elevator door opened and Bakugou, Kirishima, and Shoji climbed out of the elevator and went their separate ways for breakfast. With the extra boost of confidence that everything was going to be okay, Midoriya made his way up to his room to get change and ready for class.

Todoroki opened his eyes, the groan he tried to make stuck in his throat as he tried to get his vision to clear. His body was heavy, his head hurt, and his thoughts were foggy. His right side was… numb and his left side was hotter than what it normally was. He was so uncomfortable; he couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think.  
Todoroki tried to sit up in his bed, his entire body shaking with effort but failing to lift himself up more than an inch before his arms gave out and he collapsed back into his bed, letting out a pathetic whimper as he did so. Todoroki let out a hiccup, trying to move again, this time trying to roll to one of his sides, but again he was too weak to do so for long.

Something was wrong. But what? What was going on with him? Why did he feel so terrible? He had felt a cold coming on the night before, but to think it could become like this in a single night- If it escalated that quickly there was no doubt that things would only be getting worse from here. But he couldn’t let himself just lay here and do nothing about it; he had class. He couldn’t afford to miss it for something like this. School was important, more important than feeling a little shitty. He could push through this if he could just get out of bed.

Todoroki sucked in a breath, letting out a pained whine as he tried a third time, finally forcing himself to roll on his right side, the blankets under him instantly starting to freeze over in a thin layer of ice that was slowly growing the longer he stayed on his side. He could fix it later, but for now he needed to get up and get moving. He was going to be late if he didn’t get his butt into gear.

Once Todoroki was on his side, it was a bit easier to roll onto his stomach and get to his hands and knees from there. Once up, though, he was overwhelmed with a wave of dizziness and nausea, which overtook him long before he could prepare or even begin attempts to get to his bathroom. Instead, Todoroki let out a cough, gagged, then violently threw up onto the floor.

The little bit of lunch and dinner he had eaten the previous day came out like a punch to the gut, cutting out his oxygen and only furthering the panic he was feeling as he tried to piece himself together but failing to do so before the second wave came over him. Then a third. Then a fourth. By the sixth round Todoroki had nothing left to throw up and instead was stuck dry-heaving on the floor, shaking and letting out pathetic whimpers as he did so.

If throwing up wasn't bad enough, the stress and trauma that came along with throwing up like that seemed to activate his Quirk even more and now his body was beginning to be affected. Everything was numb with a distant pain, but what he was feeling physically was much more serious than what he was feeling mentally. His right arm was frosting over, the tips of his fingers turning dark blue the more the ice covered him while his left arm was burning, leaving blisters and a red, sunburn-like appearance to it.

The idea that he could handle this alone went out the window when he tried and failed to get control over his Quirk. He was out of his element and now his Quirk was taking control. Even if he could get out of his dorm room on his own, it was dangerous for anybody to come near him. But what could he do? If he told somebody he would get in trouble, wouldn’t he?

Would they even believe he was sick? Would they still make him go to school? Would they call his father or bother his mother?

His phone vibrating a few feet away from him drew his attention from his panic. At first he thought it was his wake-up alarm, but after a moment of forcing his eyes to focus he realized it was a text from Midoriya. 

Good morning, Todoroki :D I hope you’re feeling better today, you seemed kind of ill yesterday.

Todoroki wanted to deny it or even to just tell him a ‘good morning’ too, but he knew better than to try and play this off, especially when his left side went from simply too hot to on fire.

He reached to the phone with his right hand, tapping the screen and simply typing out help, managing to send it only seconds before his phone was overtaken by his ice.

Todoroki’s vision slowly began to go fuzzy again, his thoughts spun, and just as he heard somebody running down the hall the world around him faded to black.

Aizawa normally didn’t bother checking on his class before school, but there was something about that morning that seemed off and worrying, giving him the same kind of feeling he had gotten after his nightmare about a week ago. These were the kinds of feelings that Aizawa had trained himself not to take lightly. His instincts weren’t always right, but when they were they often warned him of emergencies. In this case, the emergency seemed to be coming from one of his students.

The only question was, which one?

When he first walked in it seemed like everything was right with the world. Almost everybody was sitting at the dining room tables eating their breakfast and talking about the dreams they had, making guesses about the day’s lessons, and recapping over what had happened the day before. But as Aizawa looked closer he realized that not one, but two of his students were absent from the group.

Todoroki and Midoriya.

Aizawa walked over to the table where Iida was sitting and looked at him, his student nearly jumping out of his skin when he realized he was standing beside him. “Where are Midoriya and Todoroki? Are they not awake?”

“Midoriya was here a minute ago, Kero.” Tsuyu said, looking up from her jelly-based breakfast. “But he ran towards the elevator. I think Todoroki slept in.”

“I would be happy to check on them, Aizawa-Sensei.” Iida said rather quickly and loudly.

Before Aizawa could accept or deny Iida’s offer the elevator dinged, and instead of seeing a groggy Todoroki ready for school, they found Todoroki slouched against Midoriya’s back as the green-haired boy held him and looked around. Midoriya was paler than normal, his eyes blown wide as he kept his friend on his back, despite the fact that the right sleeve of his uniform was starting to freeze and the left was starting to burn. Taking a look at Todoroki just proved that whatever he was doing wasn’t on purpose. In fact, given how dull his eyes were as well as how pale he was Aizawa wasn’t sure he was even aware of what was going on.

Aizawa didn’t hesitate, activating his quick and using it on his student as he ran over to Midoriya’s side, patting out the fire that was on his left arm.

“A-Aizawa-Sensei.” Midoriya said quickly. “I-I don’t know what’s wrong with him. He didn’t look well yesterday but I thought he would be okay because he went to bed early but I guess he didn’t, because I got a text that he needed help and I found him like this and-”

“Calm down, problem child.” Aizawa snapped, putting his hand on Todoroki’s head as he tried to gauge the severity of the fever, though feeling Todoroki’s forehead only made him feel more worried about what was going on in front of him. The cold side was so cold that Aizawa’s hands temporarily stuck to the skin while the hot side caused him to feel like he was touching the side of a hot pot. “Fuck. Iida, go get Recovery Girl. Midoriya, follow me into the bathroom with Todoroki. The rest of you, go to school.”

“But-” Uraraka began while Iida jumped out of his seat and ran out of the dorms.

“No. If the rest of you get sick it’ll only be more of a problem in the long run. Now get going; we’ll let you know if things change.”

Not waiting for his students to argue or come up with excuses, Aizawa followed Midoriya into the bathroom, keeping his eyes and Quirk on Todoroki to prevent him from activating his Quirk again in his dazed state.

Once the three reached the bathroom Aizawa started going over his options. Because of Todoroki’s Quirk it would be impossible to get an accurate reading on his fever with a thermometer, but considering what he had already seen he could assume it was dangerously high. But how could he get the temperature down safely? He could hope Todoroki’s Quirk would cancel itself out if he was put in water, but considering the state he was currently in it was more likely that Todoroki would slip under the water and not be able to get himself out.

After weighing his options there was only one safe thing to do, no matter how uncomfortable it was for all involved. Todoroki’s life was more important than the discomfort they would be feeling. Ignoring how much his eyes were starting to hurt, Aizawa took Todoroki from Midoriya and laid his student on the cold tile. He then blinked hard and looked over at Midoriya, talking fast but clear.

“Turn on the water and fill up the tub with lukewarm water. Not cold, not hot.” Aizawa instructed, but frowned when Midoriya just stood there staring at Todoroki. Growling, Aizawa grabbed Midoriya’s forearms gently, catching his attention. “Midoriya, pay attention.”

“R-right! Lu-Lukewarm water! I-I can do that.” Midoriya said, then ran over to the bathtub, leaving Aizawa beside his student.

Looking back at Todoroki, who was already starting to frost and blister once again, Aizawa debated on the best course of action once again. He could keep using his Quirk on his student but that was a strain on his eyes and could worsen Todoroki’s condition in the long run. They need to hurry and even out his temperature. Aizawa let out a soft breath, trying to calm himself down and collect his thoughts before he once again began using his Quirk on his student, allowing the teen a brief moment of comfort before Aizawa picked him up gently and carried him over to the tub.

The bathtub was only about a third of the way full but they didn’t have time to wait; they needed to get him in the water. Aizawa kicked off his shoes before he climbed into the tub, causing a confused noise from Midoriya before he sat down in the water, gently placing his student in the water and letting Todoroki lean weakly against him. Midoriya let out a gasp, looking at his teacher worriedly.

“Aizawa-Sensei! You could get sick-”

“I’ll be fine, problem child. The important thing is that we get Todoroki’s temperature under control.” He looked at his student, who still looked a little worried. Aizawa sighed softly. “I know what I’m doing. For now, run up to Todoroki’s room and get him some dry clothing. Once we get his temperature down we’ll have to get him into some dry and clean clothes.”

Midoriya nodded softly, then jogged away from the bathroom in the direction of the common room.

Once alone with Todoroki Aizawa did his best to relax, gently splashing the water up on Todoroki’s arms, which thankfully seemed to be helping. The bit of frost that had formed was melting and the heat rash forming on the other arm seemed to back off and was no longer spreading further up his arms. The water was slowly getting higher and while Aizawa wished it would fill faster it seemed to be helping, no matter how slow the progress was.

By the time Midoriya returned with the clothing the tub was full and Todoroki was slowly becoming aware. Midoriya placed the dry clothing onto a bench before he turned the water off and walked over to where Aizawa and Todoroki were sitting.

Todoroki whimpered, now aware enough to complain. He adjusted slightly and pressed his face against Aizawa’s chest, causing his teacher to frown with discomfort, but that discomfort went to concern when Todoroki spoke out slightly. “Hurts… i-it hurts, Mum… no more. Don’t let him hurt me anymore, Mum.”

Aizawa frowned heavily, looking over at Midoriya, who got tense. He clearly knew something about what Todoroki was going on about. From what Aizawa knew about Todoroki’s past, his mother had been abusive, or at the very least became that way after she had a mental breakdown brought on by stress, but if that was the case why was Todoroki trying to seek comfort from his mother and who was the ‘he’ he referred to?

Aizawa shook his head. Questions could be asked later; for now he had to focus on his student’s physical state, not his fever-induced rambles.

“Todoroki, can you understand me?” Aizawa asked.

Todoroki let out a shuddering breath, continuing to cling to his teacher as he sniffled.

Aizawa frowned. He was aware enough to talk but not hold a conversation. It was progress. Slow progress, but progress all the same.

“Has Iida returned with Recovery Girl?” Aizawa asked and Midoriya shook his head.

Aizawa clicked his tongue and sighed. “What’s taking him so long?”

“I-I don’t know, but I can go see if I can find him-”

Aizawa shook his head. “No. You spent the most time with Todoroki already; if anybody else is going to get sick it’ll be you or me and I don’t want you spreading whatever Todoroki has to your classmates. One sick child is too many. For now, just stay here in the dorms. You can get the notes from your classmates, but until we know if you’re going to be sick you should distance yourself from everybody.”

Midoriya nodded slowly, sitting on the floor, watching over his friend carefully.

The three sat in silence for about ten more minutes before Recovery Girl came into the room. She looked the three over and sighed softly. “I swear, you three are going to put me in an early grave.”

“Where is Iida?” Aizawa asked.

“In the Common Room. I want to keep the amount of sick students and staff low.” She walked over to the tub, glaring at Aizawa. “What do you think you’re doing in there, Shouta?”

“Thought I’d take a dip.” Aizawa said simply. “Didn’t want Todoroki in here alone in case he slipped under the water.”

“Understandable. What about you, Midoriya? Why are you here?”

“I was the one who found Todoroki and brought him to Aizawa-Sensei.”

“I won’t let him go to class, so it appears he’s chosen to stay by Todoroki’s side.” Aizawa explained and Midoriya nodded slowly.

“Very well. As long as you’re not getting anybody else sick.” Recovery Girl reached her hand out towards Todoroki’s face and Aizawa gently moved him to allow the older woman to touch him. “It will be impossible to tell how high his fever is, even for me. Though, I can tell by looking at him that he’s not doing well at all. Has he improved or changed since you put him in the water?”

Aizawa nodded. “He’s talking; not to me, of course, but he is talking to something, which is more than he was doing before.”

Recovery Girl nodded slowly. “That is progress, then.” She examined Todoroki’s face and arms carefully, “Was he using his Quirk?”

“I don’t know if he was trying to or if it was an effect of his fever, but yes.”

“Using a Quirk under the influence of drugs, alcohol, or even a fever can cause the Quirk to turn inwards and affect a person in a way that they would if they were to overuse a Quirk. Sometimes you find the rare few that aren’t affected by drugs and alcohol, but every person is affected by a fever if it’s high enough.” Recovery Girl explained, and Midoriya seemed to take a mental note on what was being said to them. “Judging by the amount of damage his Quirk has caused, we can gauge that he’s got a fever of at least 40.0, but fortunately it appears that having him in the water has stopped his fever from rising and may have even lowered it a bit. If we start using medicine, we may be able to keep the fever manageable until he has recovered from whatever illness has taken hold of him. Unfortunately, I will not be able to use my Quirk to fix the illness, and while I’ll be able to heal his current external injuries, recovering completely will be up to those around him.”

Aizawa sighed softly. “Guess that means me.”

“I guess so.” Recovery Girl smiled softly.

“I can help.” Midoriya offered.

“No, no. Once we’re sure you’re not sick you need to start attending classes again. We have no idea how long it’ll be until Todoroki will be recovered enough to go back to class, so for now I’ll just stay with Todoroki until he’s well again.”

“Very well, but if you start feeling unwell, Shouta, you better tell somebody.” Recovery Girl scolded and Aizawa nodded.

“Of course.”

Recovery Girl glared at him. “You say that, but knowing you you’ll end up just as bad off as Todoroki is now.” She sighed, digging into her white coat jacket and pulling out a bottle of liquid medication. “Give him some of this every six hours to keep his fever down and hopefully speed up his recovery. When he’s awake try to get him to eat something and drink water. If the vomiting gets to be too violent and consistent, call me and I will come back with some anti-nausea medication to counteract it, but this medicine should help it not be as dramatic.”

Aizawa gently took the medicine bottle from her and nodded. “Thank you.”

“Any time.” She gently bent over, kissing Todoroki’s forehead as the student’s skin slowly began to recover, though not completely. “I can only do so much with how sick he is. I will come back tonight to do more but it’ll take time, so some of his current injuries may scar.”

Aizawa looked at his student’s arms and the sides of his face and neck. He looked miserable but at least seemed more comfortable now that his skin wasn’t covered in large, open wounds. He sighed softly. “Midoriya.”

“Yes, Aizawa-Sensei?”

“Help me get Todoroki out of the bath and into some dry clothing.”

Midoriya seemed a bit uncomfortable by the idea and became a bit fidgety. “I don’t know if…”

Aizawa frowned. “I understand; this situation is shitty but we know that his temperature is down. We need to get him out of the water and have him take some medicine… can you at least help me get him out of the bath?”

“O-of course.”

“Good, then help me.”

Aizawa adjusted how Todoroki was laying against him so that Midoriya could gently grab Todoroki’s upper forearms. The exhausted student let out a whimper of discomfort as he was pulled from the water and placed gently on a towel which was laid out on the floor. Aizawa then climbed out of the water, looking down at his soaked jumpsuit with a sigh. Thankfully this thing wasn’t dry clean only, but it was still going to be a while before his clothing was dry.

“Alright, you’re excused, Midoriya.” Aizawa said.

“I-”

“I know you want to help but if this next step makes you uncomfortable then there’s no reason for you to be in here. You can help by telling Iida to go to the Teacher Dorms.”

“The… Teacher Dorms?” Midoriya tilted his head.

“Yes. Tell him to go there and tell Mic to get some clothing from my room, then tell Iida to put the clothing outside of the bathroom doors so that I can get changed too. Just make sure you don’t go out of the bathroom and that Iida doesn’t come into the bathroom. Once we’re done here and Todoroki is resting, I’ll have you keep an eye on him until I can scrub the bathroom clean.”

Midoriya nodded, seeming a bit more comfortable with the idea now than he was before. He jogged towards the doors of the bathroom and called for Iida. After a moment Iida came over and began talking to Midoriya, the two having a quiet conversation. Aizawa looked at Recovery Girl with a slight frown.

“Can you help me get him out of these clothes?”

“Of course I can.”

Less than ten minutes later Todoroki was in dry clothing and Midoriya, who seemed uncomfortable with the idea, stayed by the bathroom door. It wasn’t unusual for his students to bathe together, especially friend groups such as Todoroki, Midoriya and Iida, which made Aizawa a little confused about why Midoriya was so uncomfortable or unwilling to help him with the situation. But those questions and concerns would have to wait a bit longer.

There was soft talking by the door and after a moment Aizawa heard Iida’s voice say ‘I’m off to class’ before Midoriya returned back to their side with a pile of dry clothing in his hands. Aizawa took the clothes from his student and nodded to him.

“Thanks. Can you carry him to the Common Room and lay him on the couch?”

“Y-yeah, of course.” Midoriya said with a smile, thankful to be helping once again. He gently picked up his classmate, putting him on his back in a piggyback-ride fashion once more before he and Recovery Girl left the bathroom, taking Todoroki with them.

Once they were gone Aizawa sighed softly, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand before he changed into his own dry clothing. While he changed Aizawa allowed his mind to wander and come up with a plan of action. Recovery Girl would give Todoroki his first dose of medicine out in the Common Room, then he would have to do it every six hours following, which wouldn’t be too hard. He’d done similar things for both Mic and Eri in the short time she had been staying at the dorms. What would be difficult was if Midoriya began showing the same symptoms as Todoroki. Then he would have two ill students instead of one. He would need help taking care of Todoroki though, even if just for a little while. He needed somebody to watch over him while he cleaned the bathroom of any germs, washed Todoroki’s clothing, and all of Todoroki’s bedding from his room. He would then have to clean Todoroki’s room, remake the bed for his student and prepare warm meals for both Todoroki and Midoriya until Todoroki was well, or at least until they knew if Midoriya was sick as well or not.

That was just the list of things he had to do today; that wasn’t even the start of the list of things he had to worry about as a teacher watching over 22 children. God, he was getting a headache just thinking about it.

Aizawa slipped on his dry black t-shirt before he gathered all the wet clothing off of the floor and the towel they had laid Todoroki on while they changed him. He then carried all the clothing out of the room and to where the laundry room was. He tossed the clothing into the wash, added a decent amount of soap, turned the settings to ‘Mixed load’, and pressed start. Once laundry was started he made his way into the Common Room, where only Todoroki and Midoriya were now. Midoriya was on the couch opposite of Todoroki while Todoroki had a blanket draped over him, likely something placed over him by Recovery Girl.

“Can you keep an eye on him for a bit?” Aizawa asked. “I’m going to go to Todoroki’s room and clean it up.”

Midoriya nodded. “Of course.”

“Good. I have my phone now. If anything changes text me and I’ll come back down. Understand?”

“Yeah.”

Aizawa nodded slowly, then turned and made his way towards the elevator. He could clean the bathroom last; for now, he needed to clean up Todoroki’s room and give him a comfortable place to sleep throughout the night, but if the start of the day was any indication for how the rest of his day would be, it was going to be a rough one.

Todoroki slowly opened his eyes, blinking against the lights around him as he became more and more aware of what was happening around him. He could hear what sounded like the television playing in the distance, but it was distant and didn’t make a lot of sense at first. The next thing he noticed was that he wasn’t in his bedroom. Instead, he was in the dorm common room, but how had he gotten there? Had he been sleepwalking and wandered in here?

The third and final thing he noticed was how miserable he felt, which is what eventually reminded him about what was going on around him. He remembered getting sick in his room and texting Midoriya for help, but everything else was a blur. It didn’t explain how he got to the common room or why he was wearing clothing different to what he had been when he went to bed. Todoroki tried to sit up but couldn’t manage to gather the strength to do so before a hand touched his shoulder and held him in place.

Todoroki looked over his shoulder at the other couch in the room, his eyes landing on Midoriya, who was looking at him with worried green eyes. Midoriya gave him a worried smile as he gently removed his hand from Todoroki’s shoulder and sat back in his chair.

“How are you feeling, Todoroki?”

“Fine… how did I get here?” Todoroki asked and Midoriya frowned softly, obviously not believing him for a second but answering his question anyways.

“I brought you down here after you texted me.” Midoriya explained. “I found you unconscious in your room and brought you down here to get Aizawa’s help.”

“What… about class?”

“Aizawa doesn’t want either of us to go. With you being this sick and with me being the person who was around you the longest Aizawa doesn’t want to risk us getting anybody else sick.”

“Oh. Makes sense.” Todoroki rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, trying not to succumb to the wave of nausea that hit him again. He hated being this sick, and the fact that his friend had to come to his rescue was a bit uncomfortable.

He felt a bit better than he had when he woke up earlier that morning, but he still felt horrible. It felt like his head was full of rocks, threatening to break his skull open from the inside out. His throat was scratchy, as though it was made of sandpaper, and his stomach cramped with hunger but the constant threat of throwing up anything that he dared to try and eat made the thought of food intensely unappetizing. It had been a long time since he had felt this bad, but the trauma of what happened the last time made him hesitant to accept any help.

They weren’t making him go to school, but that wasn’t to say they wouldn’t make him train to get stronger, or make him push his body more than he was able to without getting worse. He just wanted to go back to his room and hide away; maybe if he did that he would get a real chance to rest and recover. He was better doing it alone, anyways; even if they didn’t make him do anything he couldn’t risk letting his friends and classmates catch whatever he had.

But how could he get Midoriya to take him to his room? Did he even need Midoriya or could he do it alone? He looked over at his concerned classmate with a sniffle.

“Can I have some soba?” He asked, even though his stomach growled uncomfortably at even the thought of trying to eat.

“Of course! I’ll go make you some; you like it cold, right?”

Todoroki nodded.

“Recovery Girl said you should eat warm things… but I don’t think soba would do any harm.” Midoriya mumbled out loud as he got off the couch and went into the kitchen.

Once Midoriya was out of the room Todoroki tried to sit up again, and after a few tries he finally succeeded in doing so, though the dizziness that came with it almost caused him to fall back onto the couch or off the couch altogether. Todoroki pressed his lips tightly together as he let out a hiccup, forcing himself to keep whatever he had left in his system to stay there. After making sure he wasn’t going to throw up the moment he moved, Todoroki slowly got to his feet and made a slow and clumsy stumble towards the elevator.

He reached for the call button, but to his surprise the door opened and he was met with a mass of his sheets, bedding, and pillows that bumped directly into him. Todoroki, not having the strength needed to hold himself up, was knocked directly to the floor, letting out a whimper when he hit the ground. The mass of bedding was dropped to the ground, showing that it was Aizawa who had been carrying it the entire time. He looked at Todoroki with a frown as he walked to his side, helping Todoroki sit up.

“What are you doing? Where is Midoriya?”

“Kitchen…” Todoroki whimpered as Midoriya shouted.

“Todoroki, are you okay?!”

Aizawa sighed, sounding rather frustrated. “Damn it, problem child. What were you doing, Todoroki?”

“I was going to my room…”

“Why?”

“So I didn’t get anybody else sick…” He grumbled softly, gently putting a hand over his mouth to try and hold back the nausea once more.

Aizawa frowned. “You shouldn’t be alone, Todoroki. Your fever was too high earlier today; it took Recovery Girl, medication, and the use of my Quirk to prevent you from being completely overtaken by your Quirk.”

Todoroki frowned. He hadn’t known that, but if whatever he had was that dangerous then he really needed to be away from everybody.

Aizawa gently reached forward, touching Todoroki’s forehead with a frown. “Even now, you’re burning up…” He sighed. “I get that you want to keep your classmates safe, but you need to rest and give me time to get things figured out for you. I just finished cleaning your room, but your sheets and blankets still need to be cleaned and I might have to have Momo replace your futon…”

Aizawa seemed to think for a moment before he looked towards the kitchen as Midoriya guiltily looked around the corner. “Alright, I have an idea. You might not like it, but it might be our only solution for now. Can you get up?”

Todoroki nodded slowly and let out a soft sniffle. “I think so.”

“Alright.” Aizawa stood by his student as he slowly got to his feet, swaying slightly. After making sure he wasn’t going to collapse or faint Aizawa led his student into the elevator. He glanced back at Midoriya, looking at him for a moment before he sighed and pushed the button on the elevator.

Todoroki couldn’t tell if his teacher was upset with his classmate but he hoped that wasn’t the case. After all, Todoroki had been the one to trick his friend into leaving the room. If anybody was going to be in trouble it should be him, not Midoriya. As the elevator began going up Todoroki stumbled slightly, his teacher grabbing him by the back of his shirt and steadying him.

“You shouldn’t be pushing yourself.” Aizawa said simply.

“This is pushing myself?” Todoroki asked, feeling honestly confused by this.

“Yes, it is. You should be resting and letting others take care of you, not going off to suffer alone like an injured cat.”

Todoroki frowned, looking down towards his feet. Is that what he was doing? Hiding his suffering from the world? He thought it would lessen the burden on everybody if he took care of this himself, but from what Aizawa was saying that wasn’t the case. What did he do in this case? What could he do to help everybody without hiding his suffering?

Aizawa reached over slightly, gently putting his hand on his student’s head as he ruffled the white and red hair under his hand. “Just tell me if and when you need something, okay? I’m here to help you, not just to sit by and watch you suffer.”

Todoroki nodded, stumbling again when the elevator stopped at the fourth floor. Todoroki was confused when his teacher walked out of the elevator and led Todoroki to the empty room beside Bakugou's. Aizawa opened the door and gestured to the default layout in front of them.

“I know it’s not what you’re used to, but until your room is completely cleaned you shouldn’t sleep in there, so you’ll have to sleep here until I can make sure your room is completely clean.”

Todoroki hesitated. “Are you sure this is alright?”

“Of course. I would put you on your floor but Shinsou took the empty room up there.”

“It’s… fine… thank you.”

Aizawa nodded. “I’m going to go make you something to eat. Lay down and try to take a nap until I come back.”

Todoroki hummed softly, then walked over to the bed, hesitantly laying down on it with a sniffle. It was weird being in an unfamiliar bed, but at least he was out of the way up here.

For the next 18 hours Aizawa did all he could to keep his student safe and comfortable, and while Midoriya was cleared of having any sign of the illness, Todoroki only seemed to be getting worse. After lunch passed Todoroki’s fever spiked again, getting above where it had been before. It eventually got to the point where Aizawa’s Quirk wasn’t enough to keep Todoroki’s Quirk from ravaging his body, which only meant one thing.

More water.

This time Aizawa resorted to tossing Todoroki in the shower connected to the room, and while it was uncomfortable for both of them to get wet again, it seemed to be working. Once Todoroki’s temperature began to even out he once again began mumbling to himself. But this time he kept mentioning somebody named ‘Touya’.

“Touya… I don’t wanna… he’s gonna hurt me. I-I don’t wanna train. I-I don’t wanna be like him…”

The more Aizawa heard the more clear the picture in his mind became, and it wasn’t a picture he enjoyed. He had never liked how vague Todoroki’s folder was; it never explained why his mother had a breakdown. Why she hurt her son. Why Todoroki hated his father. Any of it, but considering Endeavor was currently the number one hero… he could have put whatever he wanted into a police report and nobody would have questioned it.

Maybe somebody should have.

“It hurts…”

Aizawa once again allowed his student to cling to him, gently rubbing his back as he did whatever he could to keep his student calm and comfortable. Todoroki was shuddering, not with cold but with pain as the illness ripped through his body. Aizawa could only hope the medicine would kick in soon to provide his student a break from this, but until then all he could do was comfort the trembling teen.

This illness kept a tight grip on Todoroki for another full day before it finally let him go, allowing the student a break. Despite being back to 100% by Friday Aizawa banned Todoroki from going near his classmates or attending class until Saturday just to be sure that nobody else got sick, and thankfully, nobody else did. 

But just because Todoroki was healthy again didn’t mean that he wasn’t the current thing on Aizawa’s mind as sat in his dorm room, staring up at the ceiling.

Who was Touya? Who was Todoroki so afraid of? Was it his father? Had things been left out of the report his father made when Todoroki’s mother burned him? Did Aizawa have another student to worry about? He knew Bakugou was being abused, or at least had been hit by his mother over his birthday. Was Todoroki going through something similar at his own home? Should Aizawa even let his student go back home over breaks or was it too dangerous?

How could he protect his students from things that had happened in the past, or may not have happened at all?


	7. Chapter Six: Shinou's Family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: Mentions of Abduction, Mentions of Death, Mental Illness?, Mentions of Abuse!
> 
> Please read to the very end of the chapter!

Since becoming the foster child to not one, but two of his U.A. teachers Shinsou’s life had considerably changed. He finally knew what a real family was instead of what past foster families had tried to make him imagine. Families weren’t perfect; they were messy, busy, but loving all the same. His new family was no different. Hell, for the majority of the time they didn’t see each other aside from during classes, but there was one time of the week they set aside to spend time together.

Sunday.

A day Aizawa and Yamada had set aside to spend time alone with Eri and Shinsou. The four would pack up Sunday morning and spend the entire day together. Be it at their apartment on U.A. grounds or going into town to do things, the entire day was spent in a group. After Todoroki got sick, Shinsou was worried Aizawa wouldn’t be able to join them, but by some strange stroke of luck Todoroki recovered a few days before and Aizawa was showing no sign of illness, meaning the four would be able to get together after all.

Shinsou grabbed his backpack which was full of his homework, notes, and other things he would need to complete before tomorrow, then walked out of his dorm room, nearly bumping into Satou who was walking past his door at the same time. Shinsou stopped on a dime, looking at his larger classmate.

“Good morning.” He said quickly and Satou smiled.

“Morning, Shinsou.” He looked at the backpack and smiled. “Goin’ training with Aizawa again today?”

If Satou knew about his and Aizawa’s relationship he had never said anything, which Shinsou was thankful for. He wasn’t ready to admit that he was being fostered by his teachers, and he knew his foster parents weren’t ready to come out to the class as a gay couple. Hell, Aizawa had nearly had a breakdown when he finally had to tell Shinsou about them in order to get the foster paperwork filled out. Shinsou didn’t mind it, but that didn’t mean the rest of the class would be as understanding about it.

“Yeah.” Shinsou said simply.

“Good luck, man. I couldn’t imagine going head to head with Aizawa every weekend.” Satou laughed, the two walking to the elevator together. “After what Momo and Todoroki said their final exam was like against him, it sounds like it would be a slaughter.”

Shinsou resisted the urge to chuckle. They did train together, but that had been increasingly rare since he joined 2-A. It was one of the ways Aizawa let him know that he was caught up with his classmates.

“It can be tough, but I think I’m getting better.” Shinsou explained. “I’m getting knocked down less, at least.”

Satou laughed again, hitting the button on the elevator as the doors closed and the elevator carried them to the main floor.

When the elevator doors finally opened back up it revealed that the Common Room had once again fallen into madness, something that was a weekly occurrence for 2-A. Today’s problem seemed to be with the Baku-Squad, which had previously been in the kitchen. Bakugou was covered in flour, threatening Mina and Kaminari, while Kirishima blocked him from going after the two. Sero was cleaning the mess while Jiro stood on the other side of the kitchen island, laughing behind her hand. Soon enough Iida got involved, shouting at his classmates, telling them not to act so recklessly while Yaoyorozu brought cleaning supplies to Sero.

At least the rest of his class weren’t causing problems. Aoyama, Tokoyami, Mineta, Shoji, and now Satou were sitting in the living room watching an anime together. Tsuyu, Uraraka, and  
Midoriya were helping Todoroki catch up with the assignments he had missed. Ojiro and Hagakure were doing their own thing on the far side of the room, which in this case seemed to be Ojiro helping Hagakure decide what to wear for the day. Koda was standing by an open window, talking to a small robin that was sitting on a tree branch.

Shinsou scanned the room, his eyes eventually landing on Aizawa when he entered the room, seeming taken back by the amount of madness inside the dorm, though for a second Aizawa almost seemed impressed with the chaos. Shinsou chuckled under his breath, then walked over to his teacher, who straightened up as he approached.

“Do we need to stay here?” Shinsou offered. “Make sure Bakugou doesn’t kill anybody?”

“No, I’m sure Iida will get things back under control.” Aizawa said simply. “Are you ready?”

Shinsou nodded. “Yep. All packed.”

Aizawa gave an almost invisible smile before he turned back towards the door. “Good, then let’s go.” He instructed.

Shinsou waved to Satou, who seemed to be the only one aware of him leaving, then followed his teacher out of the dorms, closing the doors behind him. Shinsou jogged a bit, catching up with Aizawa as the two walked in silence towards the front gates. It was hardly an uncomfortable silence, the two being able to enjoy each other's company without feeling the need to fill it with conversation.

At least, that’s what Shinsou tried to tell himself.

The truth was there were many things he wanted to bring up, but he couldn’t tell what was ‘off limits’ and what wasn’t. Aizawa wasn’t particularly violent or mean, despite his temper, but there were clearly some things the older man was going through that he refused to talk about. One of which was about somebody named ‘Shirakumo’, who Aizawa and Yamada kept a picture of in the apartment. Yamada would talk about him, but Aizawa would shrink in on himself when he was mentioned.

It was one of many topics that Aizawa seemed hesitant to address.

He knew Aizawa wouldn’t get mad or angry at him for asking about things, but Shinsou often got mad at himself. He didn’t want Aizawa to be uncomfortable or relive something traumatic if he could avoid it.

Eventually though, one question came to his mind that he felt needed to be asked.

“How do you feel about our class?” Shinsou asked, and Aizawa glanced over at him.

“They’re… tolerable.” He stated.

“Just tolerable?”

“Yes.”

“You don’t hate them or anything?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“So you like them?”

“I didn’t say that either.” Aizawa sighed. “Why is this so important all of a sudden?”

Shinsou adjusted how he was carrying his bag. “Well, I was just thinking that a lot of other teachers wouldn’t spend two full days taking care of a sick student if he thought they were only tolerable.”

“They’re my students. It doesn’t matter how I feel about them; all that matters is that I keep them alive long enough to become heroes. If that means babysitting a single student until they are healthy again then so be it. Besides, if Todoroki’s Quirk hadn’t gotten out of control I would have let him take care of himself.”

Shinsou seriously doubted that Aizawa was the type of teacher to check and double-check on somebody if they were sick. Hell, before he even joined 2-A Aizawa had gone out of his way to take care of Shinsou when he got sick, and he hadn’t even considered fostering him at that point. Aizawa loved his students, even if he refused to admit it. Even to himself.

Half an hour later Shinsou and Aizawa arrived at the off-campus apartment where Eri and Yamada were waiting for them. The two men took off their shoes and put on their house slippers before walking deeper into the house, soon finding Yamada and Eri sitting in the living room in front of the television.

Yamada was braiding Eri’s hair while the young girl’s eyes were trained on the television.

“Welcome home.” Yamada greeted, snapping Eri out of her trance.

“We’re home.” Aizawa and Shinsou said together, smiling at the blond.

“Aizawa!” Eri said brightly. “Hitoshi, look, look!” She pressed her tongue against one of her bottom front teeth, and to their surprise it moved forward quite a bit. “I have a loose tooth!”

“Really?” Aizawa said, walking over and examining the tooth more closely, seeming a bit worried. “How did that happen?”

“I bit into an apple and it wiggled! Yamada said it’s normal for kids my age.”

Shinsou nodded slightly, putting his bag on the couch. “It is.” He assured her. “I lost my first tooth just after my sixth birthday. Honestly, I’m surprised you haven’t lost one already.”

“Yamada says I should throw it in the air when it comes out so my new tooth comes in straight.” She explained.

“That’s what I did with all my baby teeth.” Yamada said, rubbing the back of his hand under his nose.

“It’s a smart thing to do. Though I bet if you asked Yagi he would tell you to put it under your pillow.”

Both Shinsou and Eri tilted their heads as they looked at the black-haired man.

“Under your pillow?” Shinsou wondered and Yamada chuckled lightly.

“In America, they have a legend about a fairy that will exchange your tooth with money if you leave it under your pillow overnight.” Yamada explained.

Eri’s eyes lit up at the mention of ‘fairies’ and she almost began bouncing up and down in her seat. “Can we do both? I-I wanna see if the fairy will take my tooth too!”

“Sure thing, Kiddo.” Aizawa said, patting her head. “We’ll give it a try when it falls out, but don’t wiggle it too much or try to force it out or you could hurt the tooth under it.”

“Okay!” Eri promised.

Yamada tied off Eri’s braid before he got to his feet and gently touched Aizawa’s shoulder. “Help me with breakfast?” He asked and Aizawa nodded.

Shinsou smiled, watching as Aizawa blushed lightly before he followed Yamada into the kitchen. It was almost funny how differently Aizawa acted when he was in a home setting, so differently that Shinsou doubted anybody would ever believe him. Shinsou chuckled lightly, turning his attention to his foster sister.

“Wanna play a game?”

“Yeah! Y-Yamada and I got a new game yesterday.” She said, getting off the floor before she jogged over to the bookshelf where they kept the board games. She scanned the shelf for a moment before grabbing a small red box and bringing it over to Shinsou.

Shinsou looked at the game with a smile. It was Uno. He had played before, but not in a very long time. Maybe even four or five years ago. He was pretty sure he remembered how to play, but was sure it wouldn’t be too hard to remember the basic rules of it.

“This is a fun one.” Shinsou smiled. “Here, let’s figure out how to play.”

Aizawa peeked out of the kitchen, looking at the two children go over the rules of their card game before he went back to cutting the vegetables in front of him. He was happy to be back home, even if it was just for a few hours. It allowed the tension in his body to relax, which was something he wasn’t able to do in front of his students, coworkers, or the majority of his friends. Despite being home with his daughter, foster son, and boyfriend, however, his mind was reeling with questions and concerns about his students.

Was Todoroki really better or would he get sick again? Had he been abused by his parents? How was Bakugou handling everything that happened with his parents? He still hadn’t mentioned anything to Aizawa so he was left hoping he was okay, but was he really? How could he protect his students from their own parents? The students knew they could protect themselves against any enemies that attacked them, but how could he get them to understand that they could protect themselves against their families too?

All of these questions and concerns were giving him a headache.

“Shouta? You okay?” Yamada asked, gently taking the hand that wasn’t holding the knife and moving it away from the cutting board.

“Yeah.” Aizawa sighed. “I just… I suspect one of my students has been abused.” He said softly.

Yamada seemed caught off-guard for a moment before he gestured towards Shinsou. Aizawa shook his head, telling his blond boyfriend that Shinsou wasn’t who he was currently concerned about, but that hardly calmed Yamada down.

“Then who?” Yamada asked.

Aizawa placed the knife down on the cutting board, leaning against the counter. “Todoroki.”

“You mean… more than his mother's breakdown?”

Aizawa nodded. “Yeah. When he was sick he kept mentioning how he was afraid of somebody hurting him, and he also kept bringing up somebody named Touya. But I don’t know how much of it was fever-induced rambling and what was him reliving trauma.” He explained, rubbing the back of his neck.

“He lives at the dorms now, so he should be safe from-”

“Should be. Yes. But what about when he goes home for breaks or internships? What if one of his siblings, or hell- what if Endeavor abuses him when he’s home?”

Yamada walked in front of Aizawa, scanning his face. “Are you sure about this?”

“No. I’m not. But I don’t know how to bring it up to him and the file of his mother’s… incident is very vague and has a lot of holes. But considering Endeavor was the Number Two Hero at the time he could have told the police anything and they would have been inclined to believe him. Who’s not to say he didn’t make the entire thing up just to push things under the rug and keep his reputation from becoming even more muddied?”

The two stood in the kitchen, quiet for a long moment before Yamada spoke up once more.

“Do you think he would have told anybody?”

“What?”

“That’s a big secret to keep to yourself for 10 years; he had to have told somebody. Maybe somebody in U.A.; if he did you might be able to find out from them and be able to approach the situation in another way.”

Aizawa thought about it for a moment. He couldn’t help but think back to the bath with Todoroki when he had first begun to mumble about his mom and the pain. Midoriya had acted strangely then, like he had known what Todoroki had been talking about. Aizawa had all but forgotten the reaction to it, but now that he remembered the only thing he could say was “The Problem Child…”

“Who?”

“Midoriya.” Aizawa grumbled. “Fuck, I should have noticed it earlier. The two got really close after the Sports Festival, and he seemed really tense when Todoroki began mumbling. I bet Todoroki told him something and the damn Problem Child decided to keep it to himself.” He sighed, dragging his hands down his face.

Yamada smiled slightly. “Well, now you have a good place to start asking questions.” He said softly. “Now let’s finish breakfast; I’m sure the kids are getting hungry.”

“Yeah. Thank you.” Aizawa took a step forward, wrapping his arms around the slightly taller man, putting his head on Yamada’s shoulder as he sighed. He took a moment, enjoying the feeling of Yamada’s body warmth.

“Aww, I love when you get all snuggly and affectionate.” Yamada beamed, causing Aizawa to blush and clear his throat, pulling away from him.

“Whatever.” Aizawa grumbled, turning his full attention back to the food in front of him.

Despite the clear plan he had in his head Aizawa couldn’t help but continue worrying about his student. What if he lost somebody else? What if he knew something but didn’t say anything and his student ended up getting killed? What if he failed to protect a third person in his life? He couldn’t let that happen. He couldn’t let anybody else in his life get hurt when he could have stepped up.

He wouldn’t fail anybody else.

At least… that’s what he was planning.

By the time noon came around, the once clear sky had turned dark and rain was pouring down, soaking everything under them, though the rain hardly deterred any of the fun the family was having. They had been playing Uno for close to three hours now, and so far Eri had won all but the first game she had played.

“I win!” Eri said brightly as Shinsou groaned out in defeat.

“Again?! How!?”

“Are you sure you’ve never played before?” Yamada asked Eri while Aizawa began gathering up the cards.

“I’m sure.” She chuckled.

“Hitoshi, why don’t you pick out the next game?” Aizawa suggested.

Shinsou thought for a moment before he shrugged and walked over to the book shelf. It took him a moment to decide on a game, but just when he thought he had one picked out there was a knock on the front door. He frowned, looking at his foster family before he smiled.

“I got it.” He said, walking to the front door and peeking through the peephole. 

What he saw made him do a physical double-take before he peeked back into the living room, double-checking to make sure he wasn’t seeing things. When he did, Aizawa looked at him curiously.

“Something wrong?” He asked as Shinsou looked him over.

“Uh… yeah… you are at the door.”

Shinsou had never seen somebody pale so dramatically as Aizawa did. He got to his feet and marched to the front door while Yamada whispered for Eri to stay in the living room. Shinsou watched Aizawa walk to the front door, opening it up and looking at the woman on the other side. Standing there soaked to the bone was a woman identical to the teacher. She had long wavy black hair, tired black eyes, and pale skin. She was wearing a black t-shirt with a grey jacket, dark jeans, and combat boots. She looked exhausted and ready to cry as she looked at Aizawa, then at Shinsou in the background.

“Ayano?” Aizawa said softly, a hint of tenderness in his voice. “What are you doing here?”

The woman let out a weak laugh, scanning Aizawa’s face, a look of panic in her eyes. “You have a kid? O-of course you have a kid. I-it’s been 8 years…” She rambled softly.

“Ayano, what’s wrong?” Aizawa asked, reaching for her but the woman took a step away from him. 

“I-I shouldn’t have come.” She said quickly. “I-I don’t know why I'm here… or why I thought… Nevermind. I-I should go.”

“Ayano, you’re not making any sense.” Aizawa said. “Why don’t you come in and-”

“No.” She said sternly, then frowned, gently taking his hand. “I just… I wanted to see you and Soos.” She said. “I’ll stop by when you’re less busy.”

Aizawa held her hand, a suspicious glare crossing his face as he did so. “It’s okay, Ayano. You can see Soos, he’s in the back room sleeping.”

“No… no, don’t wake him.” She finally pulled her hand away, looking back at Shinsou. “It was nice to see you, Shouta. Take care.” She said, waving as she walked down the step then started walking down the street.

Aizawa slowly closed the door. He then turned towards Shinsou and pressed his fingers to his lips when he went to ask who ‘Soos’ was. Aizawa then held his hand out, showing a folded-up piece of paper in his hand, something that had been passed to him from the woman.

“Who was that, Aizawa?” Eri asked as Aizawa and Shinsou walked back to the living room.

Aizawa signed something to Yamada, who quickly walked around the house, locking all the doors and windows before closing the blinds. Only then did Aizawa answer the question.

“That was my sister, Ayano.”

“You have a sister?” Eri asked softly.

“Yes, we’re twins.”

“Well, obviously; she looks just like you. But why haven’t you mentioned her before?” Shinsou asked.

Aizawa unfolded the paper, careful not to rip it. “We haven’t spoken in 8 years, not since her husband’s funeral.”

“Oh…” Eri sounded rather sad. “Why?”

“Because she blames me for his death.” He grumbled, and it was clear by how he said it that he blamed himself too.

Yamada came back to the kitchen and turned the radio on before walking back over to him. “We should be able to talk now; what’s going on?” He asked softly.

“Not sure.” Aizawa said, reading the paper.

“Who is Soos?” Shinsou finally asked.

“A codeword. We’ve had it since we were kids; it’s not ‘Soos’ but rather ‘s.o.s.’. We say Soos to confuse anybody who might be listening. So the fact that she used the code instead of just telling me that something is wrong means she thinks people are listening. Whatever trouble she’s gotten into, she can’t get out of it alone.” Aizawa grumbled softly, his face going from pale to slightly green in color.

The note was written hastily on a pharmacy receipt and made just about as much sense as the woman had been. But apparently Aizawa understood enough to begin to panic. Aizawa scrambled away from the table and ran to the front door, looking around for the woman. Shinsou took this chance to look at the paper that was abandoned on the table, frowning as he tried to understand the frantic scribbles of a distressed woman.

Shouta, Zadyn is gone.  
He’s gone.  
He never made it to the first day of school and never came home. I thought he just ran away but then I got a phone call. They said he was ‘Special’. He’s not special. But they insisted. They told me if I went to the cops or any heroes they would kill him.  
I tried to find him on my own. Tried to find out what they wanted.  
They just wanted Zadyn.  
But why? Why why why?  
You’re our last chance. Save my son.  
You owe me that much.

Part of Shinsou was mad at the woman for what was written, but not knowing the entire story made it difficult. It wasn’t his place to be mad for Aizawa; at least, not now.

“She’s long gone.” Aizawa said, walking over as he looked the note over again, this time with Yamada rubbing his back.

“What do you want to do, Shouta?” Yamada asked.

Aizawa hesitated. “There’s only one thing I can do.” He looked up at Yamada, his dark eyes full of sadness. “Will you take Eri and Shinsou back to the school? I’m going to take the note to the police station and give them the note as well as any information they need. I don’t know how long I’ll be, so they might as well be back before curfew.”

Yamada nodded. “Of course, but… are you sure you don’t want me to go with you?”

“Yeah. I’m sure. I’d feel better knowing that the kids are safe at U.A. than sitting here. Especially if whoever took Zadyn followed Ayano here.”

“Understandable, love.” Yamada said, kissing Aizawa’s head. “Shinsou, Eri, go get your bags and get ready to go.”

Eri, who seemed even more confused than Shinsou, nodded and jogged over behind the couch to get her backpack. Shinsou looked his teachers over for a moment before he went to the couch to get his own bag. He hated seeing that frightened look in Aizawa’s eyes, the paranoid expression that made Shinsou feel on edge. It was the same gaze he often got when students got hurt or sick, which only meant that Aizawa was scared.

Really scared.

But why? Who was Zadyn? From the sounds of it they had to be that woman’s kid or something, so Aizawa’s nephew. But why did she say Aizawa ‘owed’ him? Did it have to do something with what Aizawa had said before about her blaming Aizawa for her husband's death?

None of this made sense and it was upsetting.

“I’ll meet you at the dorms in a few hours.” Aizawa promised, kissing Eri and Yamada’s foreheads before ruffling Shinsou’s hair. “Take care of each other and be safe.”

“Of course, love. Just worry about your family right now. Call me if you need me to come to you.” Yamada told him, pushing Aizawa’s bangs out of his face. “You don’t have to be alone in this.”

“I know… thank you, Hizashi.” He blushed lightly, looking at Shinsou one last time. “I’ll explain everything later, okay?”

Shinsou tensed, but nodded. “Yeah… alright.”

Shinsou climbed into the back seat of the car while Yamada buckled Eri into her seat. Yamada then climbed into the front seat, waving at Aizawa before they drove away, leaving Aizawa alone in the cold rain. 

“So that woman was Aizawa’s sister?” Shinsou asked.

Yamada looked in the rearview mirror before he smiled, rather nervously. “Yeah. They’re identical twins.”

Shinsou processed this for a moment before he looked at him with a frown. “But, wait… aren’t identical twins the same gender?”

Yamada tensed, then laughed. “Let’s listen to the radio! Any requests from my lovely listeners?!” He asked.

“I wanna listen to my CD!” Eri said.

“Alright, alright!” Yamada cheered, turning on the CD before he blasted the radio. Both he and Eri sang along while Shinsou’s thoughts continued spinning in circles.

The more he learned about his new family the more confused he became.

Aizawa sighed, looking at Detective Tsukauchi from across the desk. It had already been an hour since he had said goodbye to his kids and arrived at the police station, but it seemed like they were only just getting started. Detective Tsukauchi had sent the note for testing, fingerprints, DNA, pen analysis, and other testing to make sure it was written by the person who delivered it. He had also sent undercover officers to Ayano’s apartment to check up on her.

She wasn’t home.

Unfortunately it had been so long since he had seen his sister that Aizawa had no clues to give them about where she could be or what kind of trouble she or her son had gotten into.

“This is the most recent photograph you have of him?” Tsukauchi asked, looking at the small photograph Aizawa had pulled from his wallet.

“Yes, it was taken on his 8th birthday.”

Tsukauchi nodded. “He’d be 16 now?”

“Yes, almost 17.”

“I’ll have a copy made and have our techs age up the photo so we can get a general idea of who we’re looking for, then we’ll compare it with school records. Are you sure you don’t know where he attended?”

Aizawa almost laughed out in frustration, hanging his head as he looked down at the table. “I didn’t even know they were in Japan…” He admitted softly.

Tsukauchi raised a brow. “Where did you think they were?”

“America. That’s where his father was born and where they had other family. Ayano had always talked about moving there when Zadyn got older, so… I thought they moved there after the funeral.”

“You didn’t check on them?”

“I tried to. But they moved house, changed phone numbers, and if my parents knew where they lived they refused to tell me. I-I thought maybe if I gave her space the next time we saw each other we could make amends…”

“Amends? Amends for what?”

Aizawa tried not to shrink down into his capture weapon or get frustrated with all the questions. “Ayano blames me for her husband's death.”

“And why would she do that?”

He hated this. Why was he being treated like a suspect? He needed to go to the dorm and check on his students. Tskauchi needed to start his search but here they were, wasting time playing 20 Questions. Despite his frustrations, Aizawa answered the question.

“I was supposed to meet him and Zadyn for lunch, but I got caught up in something and by the time I made it to them… Spirit had been killed.”

“Spirit?” Tsukauchi straightened up slightly. “I know that name; I was just a beat cop back then.”

Aizawa nodded. “That was her husband. He ran into a burning building and died before he could get everybody out.” Aizawa crossed his arms over his chest. “Because I was late meeting up with them, Ayano blames me. She says that if I had been there to help him we would have been able to get everybody out before the building collapsed and he wouldn’t have died. Then again, she also blames Zadyn for not helping his father too. That is what finally made us stop talking. I was fine with her blaming me- hell, I blame myself even now, but for her to blame their 8-year-old son for not running into a burning building… it pissed me off.”

Tsukauchi frowned. “I’m sorry, Eraserhead. For everything you’ve been through… but I have to ask. Do you think Ayano could have done something to Zadyn and came up with this elaborate story to cover her tracks?”

Aizawa didn’t even want to think about it, but the fact of the matter was he had no idea. “I don’t know. 8 years ago if you had asked me I would have said absolutely not… but with how she was acting the last time I saw her… maybe.”

Tsukauchi nodded. “We’ll keep that in mind, then. If his mother wasn’t responsible then we have to look at all other angles. Do you think his kidnapping could be related to Spirit’s death or the work he did as a hero?”

Aizawa thought for a moment. “I don’t think so. But I can’t think of any reason why they would kidnap Zadyn otherwise. I can’t imagine they would target him for his Quirk but so I have to suspect he got in trouble with a gang or… worse.”

Tsukauchi frowned. “We’ve gotten a lot of reports of human trafficking in the area.” He said and Aizawa’s stomach sank at the idea. If anybody dared lay a hand on his nephew, he wouldn’t hesitate. “But don’t worry about it; we’ll find him. Go ahead and go back to U.A.; I’ll contact you the moment we find something out.”

Aizawa nodded, getting up and giving the detective a bow. “Thank you.” He said tightly, then walked out of the interview room.

He still didn’t know how to feel about the entire situation. Part of him was freaking out because somebody in his family was missing, but at the same time he couldn’t help but worry about his students. Were high school students being targeted? Were they in danger too? He didn’t know, but whatever the case he didn’t like the idea that anybody he cared about was in trouble. It didn’t matter how long it had been since he had seen them last.

He would protect his students, and when the time came he would bring Zadyn home. That much he was certain of.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Okay, now that I've kind of introduced my OC I would like to know if you guys would like me to put some of my pictures on here? At the end of the chapters or something. There wont be one for every chapter and they're not good but I've been practicing and have a lot of art based around this story. Whether or not I post my art at the end of the chapters or not you'll still be getting chapters as often as possible!

I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far!


	8. Chapter Seven: Kaminari's Struggle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warning!
> 
> Transphobia, Homophobia, Mineta, Coming Out, Non-Explicit Sexual Themes, Awkward Conversations, Mentions of Abuse

Kaminari sat on the common room couch, scrolling through article after article on his phone. The storm outside gave him the perfect excuse to ask the internet questions that had been bothering him for quite some time now, but it seemed the more he read the more questions came to mind. Since the sex ed class a few days ago his thoughts had been spinning; things that hadn’t made sense before were starting to make more sense now, but instead of feeling comforted by his new knowledge he was only more afraid.

The teachers had said that they could go to them with questions, but the last thing Kaminari wanted was for somebody to overhear their conversation. He didn’t want anybody to know that he was-

“Why are you reading that crap?” Mineta asked, having suddenly appeared beside him on the couch.

Kaminari let out a startled shriek as a burst of electricity shot out of him and quickly killed his phone. He then looked over at his friend, trying to think of some kind of excuse when Mineta suddenly continued.

“It’s disgusting.”

The last word felt like a punch to his gut and Kaminari’s voice hardly managed to come out of his mouth as he finally spoke. “...What?”

“It’s disgusting.” He repeated. “Not to mention wrong. People should just stop being jealous of the other gender and accept who they are. Girls are girls, boys are boys, and if they feel like anything else they should just find somebody who can make them feel like a real man or woman. It’s bad enough there are homosexuals running around ruining everything with their immoral ideas.” Mineta growled. “Love is meant to be between a man and a woman. The penis goes into the vagaina like a key to a lock, it’s simple. And anybody who thinks otherwise is wrong and should probably be institutionalized on grounds of insanity. We don’t need those kinds of people infecting the normal population.”

Kaminari’s stomach curled into knots and he started feeling sick. He wished Bakugou and Kirishima were near enough to overhear the conversation; maybe then he would be able to sneak away. But it seemed like he was stuck listening to Mineta’s bigoted ideals. Everybody else was too busy doing their own things to hear what was being said, which allowed Mineta to continue his train of thought.

“I-I don’t think it’s too bad.” Kaminari said softly. “I-I mean, it’s hard to judge somebody if you don’t understand wha-”

“Dude, seriously? I thought you would be with me on this one.” He raised a brow. “If there’s a girl in our class who thinks they need to be a boy, they’re just doing it for attention. And I can give them all the attention they need. Help them feel like a real woman.”

Kaminari shrunk down in his chair, feeling the blood drain from his face. He hated these kinds of conversations. He wanted to leave. He didn’t want to hear this, not from his friend.

Thankfully, his prayers were answered in the form of three familiar and soaked people walking through the front door: Present Mic, Eri, and Shinsou. Kaminari didn’t know how the three of them ended up together, and honestly he didn’t care. It was a distraction and a way out of the conversation.

Kaminari scrambled out of his chair and jogged over to them, accidentally startling Eri, who quickly hid behind Mic.

“Yo, Shinsou! You’re back!” Kaminari said, rather loudly. “Where’s Aizawa-Sensei? You didn’t beat him too bad, did ya?”

Shinsou raised a brow, clearly confused and curious why Kaminari was acting so strange, but he didn’t say anything about it. “Family emergency.” He said simply. “That’s all I know.”

“A family emergency?” Midoriya repeated as the common room fell quiet.

“I didn’t think Aizawa had family.” Todoroki commented and Iida instantly frowned.

“Everybody has a family, Todoroki.” Iida pointed out.

“Is he okay, Kero?” Tsuyu asked.

“He’s fine, young listeners.” Mic said with a smile. “But because he’ll be busy for a few hours I offered to watch over you until his return. Which means Eri is here for a playdate!”

Eri peeked around his legs, smiling at Midoriya as he walked over to her. “I-I brought my backpack. I-I brought some hair clippies.” She said softly.

“This is so fun!” Mina said, bounding over to Eri. “We should totally do makeovers!”

Eri’s eyes went big. “What are… makeovers?”

“They’re when we do each other's hair, make-up, and nails.” Yaoyorozu said.

“It is quite relaxing and enjoyable.” Aoyama spoke up.

Eri looked up at Mic, as though asking permission. Mic laughed. “Go for it, Kiddo. But no make-up, okay?”

“Okay!” Eri gently took Mina’s hand as she, Yaoyorozu, Aoyama, Jiro, Tsuyu, Uraraka, and Hagakure walked towards the elevators to the girls’ dorms.

Mic gently patted Shinsou on the back before walking into the kitchen, leaving Shinsou and Kaminari together. Kaminari, still feeling uncomfortable, glanced over his shoulder at Mineta, who seemed to have all but forgotten the conversation as he watched the television. Kaminari sighed sadly, looking back at Shinsou.

“Can… we talk? I-in private?” He asked.

Shinsou almost seemed caught off guard by the question as he nodded, leading Kaminari out on the covered front porch, closing the door behind them. Shinsou then leaned against the wall while Kaminari sat against it beside him. Kaminari wrapped his arms around his knees, doing his best to ignore the twinge of pain in his ribs.

“What’s wrong?” Shinsou asked him.

Kaminari hesitated. How could you bring this kind of subject up? Could he trust Shinsou with such a big secret? What if he reacted the same way Mineta did? Could he handle being rejected by two of his friends in one day? Thankfully, Shinsou seemed to notice his discomfort and started the conversation.

“Is this about the sex-ed class we had last week?”

Kaminari nodded slowly.

“I thought so. You’ve been acting… off since then.” Shinsou slid down, sitting beside him. “You know you can trust me, right? Anything you say stays between us.”

Kaminari looked at him, trying to ignore the way tears stung at his eyes. “Promise?”

“I promise.”

Kaminari nibbled his bottom lip. “I… I was born a girl.” He said, and while Shinsou looked surprised he didn’t look appalled and didn’t say anything about it. “B-but as I got older, it started feeling wrong. When I looked at myself in the mirror I saw a stranger looking back at me. A-and when I started… developing i-it got really bad. I-I couldn’t buy clothes, or try on bras o-or anything. W-when I was 10 I started… binding with Ace bandages.” Shinsou seemed to go pale. “Wh-when my parents found out they freaked and told my Aunt… but thankfully she was more accepting. S-she bought me a binder in secret and was the only one who tried to help me understand what I was.  
“S-so when I learned that there was a name for what I experienced and a school that would accept me I got really happy. I-I started looking into it more and more so that I knew what I wanted if I-I decided to go to Recovery Girl, but… while I was looking into it, Mineta caught me.”

Shinsou glared softly, but still said nothing.

“He said that it was wrong.” Kaminari rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand. “T-that people who thought they were trans should just accept it and find somebody who could make them feel like what they are. H-he said that anybody who thought they were a dude should just go to him so he could ‘help them feel like a real woman’. B-but I don’t want to feel like a ‘real woman’, I just want to be one of the guys. I-I want to be able to look in the mirror and see who I really am, not… this.” He gestured to his chest with a sniffle.

Shinsou suddenly reached over, pulling Kaminari into a tight hug before he grumbled. “Mineta can go fuck himself.” He said, and Kaminari let out a startled laugh though his tears. “He has no right to say that stuff when he doesn’t understand what you’re going through. Only you know how you feel and only you can decide what you want in life.”

Kaminari sniffled, looking up at Shinsou.

Shinsou frowned softly. “I think… you should talk to Aizawa.”

“W-what? N-no. I-I don’t want to get Mineta in trouble when he was only saying what he was thinking and-”

“Then don’t mention Mineta.” Shinsou sighed, letting go of Kaminari. “Just talk to him about how you’re feeling and what you’re going through. Besides, binding can be dangerous, especially when you exercise, right?” Shinsou asked and Kaminari nodded. “Then you should at least bring that up to him. He might be able to figure out a safer way for you to bind during training, or even help you start the transitioning process.”

Kaminari hesitated. “Will you come with me when I do?” He asked, trying not to sound as scared as he felt. “I-If I decide to talk to him?”

Shinsou nodded. “Of course. Whenever you’re ready.”

Kaminari nodded. “O-okay; thank you, Shinsou.” He hugged Shinsou again, giving him a gentle squeeze. “You’re a good person.”

The storm had finally finished when Aizawa made it back to the school, and as he approached the dorms he had a clear plan in mind. He would check on his students, make sure everybody was alright, then drag Midoriya aside. He would ask him about what Todoroki said during his fever, and depending on what Midoriya said he would either start doing his own research or try to drop the subject. Then he would tell Yamada about what the police said and get his advice on that.

It was against the law for him to search for Zadyn. He knew that.

Yet he wanted nothing more than to start his search.

No. He had to keep his mind focused on his students. The police would find Zadyn; they just needed time.

Aizawa sighed, pushing open the front doors to the dorms and being met with a common room full of his students. There was no sign of Eri, Mic, Aoyama, or any of the girls in the dorms, suggesting they were off doing something together, but considering there was such a large group gone Aizawa could assume there wasn’t anything wrong with them, and the rest of his class looked as safe as they always did in the dorms. Aizawa allowed the anxiety and worry to disappear for a moment as he turned his attention to Midoriya, who was sitting and talking with Todoroki, likely about the comic they were looking at.

“Aizawa-Sensei.” Iida said, being the first to notice his appearance. He jogged over to his teacher. “Welcome back.”

“Thank you, Iida. How was everything?

“Fine, Sensei. Things calmed down not long after you left. We heard that you had an emergency with your family; is there anything you need?”

Aizawa shook his head. “It’s being handled. For now, I need to talk to Midoriya.”

“Midoriya?” Iida seemed confused, but thankfully also understood that it was none of his business. “Shall I get him?”

“No, I can do it. Thank you.” Aizawa walked past his student and walked over to Midoriya. He felt a little guilty pulling him away from Todoroki, but the fact that they were still hanging out only supported the suspicions he had about their friendship. If Todoroki opened up to anybody, it would be Midoriya.. When he approached the table, the two teens looked up at him.

Todoroki nodded his head in greeting while Midoriya smiled.

“Hello, Aizawa-Sensei. Are you okay?” Midoriya asked.

“I’m fine, but I need to talk to you, problem child.”

“M-me?” Midoriya sounded extremely nervous, as though every bad thing he had ever done in his life was coming back to haunt him. “O-okay? Am I in trouble?”

“Depends.” Aizawa said simply. “Come with me.”

Midoriya nodded tightly. “I’ll be right back.” He told Todoroki, who nodded again.

Aizawa led Midoriya through the dorms and to the elevator, the two stepping in and heading to the upper floors. After the door closed and before it reached the next floor Aizawa hit a button, stopping the elevator from opening its doors or traveling any higher. The two were alone in a soundproof box, perfect for the conversation they were about to have.

“D-did I do something wrong, Aizawa-Sensei?”

“I don’t know yet.”

Midoriya seemed just as confused and concerned as when he first approached him. “I-I don’t understand.”

Aizawa sighed. “Midoriya. I'm going to ask you something and I need you to be honest with me. Understand? No cover stories, no lies, no excuses.”

Midoriya nodded slowly.

“Good.” He looked Midoriya straight in the eye, crossing his arms over his chest. “Has one of your classmates ever come to you and told you they were being abused?”

All the color instantly drained from his face. “Abused?” He asked softly.

“Yes. Whether it be in the past or currently happening. Has anybody said this to you?”

Midoriya seemed hesitant, his eyes casting down to the floor. “I…”

“Midoriya. I want the truth and I want it now.”

Midoriya’s lips trembled. “Todoroki…” He said softly and Aizawa’s stomach sank slightly. He had been right.

“Todoroki has?”

“Y-yes…”

“When?”

“At the Sports Festival.” The worry was replaced with rage that Aizawa did his best to hold back.

“Why didn’t you say anything ?”

“Because it’s… none of my business and-”

“Don’t give me that, Midoriya!” Aizawa snapped and Midoriya jumped. “If you knew a classmate was being hurt and you did nothing you’re just as responsible as the person hurting them.” Midoriya’s face turned as green as his hair.

“I-I am?”

“Yes, because you kept knowledge to yourself that may have allowed the abuse to continue. Now, I want you to tell me everything Todoroki told you that day and since then. Understand?”

“But-”

“Damn it! No! Not ‘but’! If one of my students is in harm’s way it’s my job to protect them. It doesn’t matter if it’s your place or not, not to me and not right now. I need to know what happened in the past so I can prevent it from happening again.” Aizawa tried to calm himself down. “The last thing either of us want is to send Todoroki into a potentially deadly situation.”

Midoriya sniffled, slowly sitting on the floor as he rubbed his eyes. Aizawa sat on the floor as well, waiting for his student to calm down enough to begin.

Midoriya then told Aizawa a story, one about a Quirk marriage between Endeavor and Todoroki’s mother. He told him how Endeavor abused Todoroki and his mother while neglecting his other children. He then explained that the abuse was what caused his mother to have her breakdown and burn Todoroki, and that the abuse continued into high school until their most recent internship with Endeavor, when the hero promised to move out of the family home so that Todoroki’s mother could return home. He told Aizawa how Endeavor was the reason for Todoroki’s fear of his own Quirk, and he tried to avoid going home at all costs.

Midoriya finished the story off by explaining how even with Endeavor out of the house, Todoroki was scared that the man would come back home and start hurting them again.

The more Aizawa heard the more upset the teacher became, not just at Endeavor for laying his hand on a child but also Todoroki and Midoriya for keeping such a big secret, though Aizawa also understood why they kept quiet. Not just to protect Todoroki’s future, but they had to combat the fact that if they didn’t keep quiet they would be accusing the #1 hero of abusing his youngest son. It wasn’t a light accusation, and Aizawa didn’t doubt that some people wouldn’t believe them.

But at least Aizawa knew, and now that he knew he could do something about it.

Once Aizawa was sure Midoriya was done Aizawa gave him a weak- but hopefully reassuring - smile.

“Thank you for telling me. I do have one final question, though.”

“Yeah?”

“Do you know who Touya is?”

Midoriya seemed unsure. “K-kinda? He was mentioned by Todoroki’s older brother, Natsuo.”

“Mentioned how?”

“Well… Touya was Todoroki’s oldest brother, but… shortly after their mother was taken away to the hospital, he died. Natsuo blamed Endeavor. He says that Endeavor is responsible for his death, but… we never really found out what happened to him or why Natsuo blames him.”

Aizawa pressed his lips tightly together. More questions came to mind but they were questions he could only ask Todoroki and his family, and it wouldn’t be an easy conversation for any of them. He could go to Endeavor but he doubted the man would admit to any of this; child abuse aside, Quirk Marriages were illegal and even the Number One Hero could go to prison for something like that. Aizawa sighed.

“Alright. That’s all I wanted to know; you can go back to what you were doing.” Aizawa stood up, hitting the button that caused the elevator to jump back to life.

“I’m not in trouble?”

“Trouble. No. I’m furious with you but I won’t punish you for wanting to protect your friend. I do expect you to bring these kinds of things to my attention from now on, though.”

“Yeah, o-of course.”

“Good. Now, do me a favor. Don’t mention this conversation to Todoroki. I’ll be talking to him in private about it soon enough. When I do I won’t mention you, so you don’t have to worry about him finding out about you telling me.”

Midoriya nodded softly. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me. Just don’t let history repeat itself, understand?”

“Yes sir.”

The doors to the elevator opened and Aizawa stepped out with a sigh. There was research to be done after all.

Aizawa noticed Kaminari and Shinsou looking at him from the couch, but considering neither made the move to talk to him he just nodded to them as he walked to Iida.

“Are Mic and Eri still here?”

“Yes, sir; they’re up with the girls getting makeovers.”

“Alright. If you see them, tell them I’m back at the Teachers’ Dorms; I have work to catch up on.”

“Of course, Sensei.” Iida smiled. “We will see you in class tomorrow morning.”

Aizawa nodded, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he walked out of the dorms. Between the news he had received about Zadyn and the fact that his concerns for Todoroki were confirmed, Aizawa's thoughts were spinning. He needed to figure a lot of things out before he could even consider trying to go to sleep.

It was going to be a long night.

When Aizawa came into the class the next morning the exhaustion on his face was obvious, even to Kaminari. His teacher was pale, his eyes sunken and red, and he even seemed a little jittery. He occasionally checked his phone, which Kaminari could only assume was because of the ‘Family Emergency’ from the day before. But was something else wrong?

Aizawa tucked his phone back into his pocket with a sigh. “Iida, pass these out.” He instructed, gesturing towards the stack of papers on the podium.

Iida instantly got up and walked to the front of the classroom, gathering the papers. He began passing them out and as he did so Aizawa explained what was going on.

“I wasn’t planning on testing you guys on what we went over last week, but Midnight suggested it would be a good idea, and because I have nothing else planned we might as well. This quiz can be failed, and if you fail it you will have to repeat the lesson with Hound Dog. Understand?”

The class nodded as Kaminari picked up his paper and looked it over.

“Good, then you can begin as soon as you get your paper.” Aizawa sat down against the wall on top of his sleeping bag, once again pulling out his phone and typing something.

Kaminari pulled out a pen and began the test.  
The Definition of Consent is:  
A) Forbid  
B) Disagree  
C) Permission  
D) Dissent

He filled in C.

Knowledge of Sexuality, Gender, and Consent is important to being a hero because:

This question wasn’t multiple choice but he knew the answer and wrote it in: To help people who may have been abused and protect yourself in the future.

The most common sexualities are:

Kaminari hesitated, then wrote in his answer.

When a person is born Female but identify as Male they are:  
FtM Transgender

When a person doesn’t identify as either Gender they are:  
Non-Binary or Agender

As he continued the test Kaminari found himself relaxing more and more. Some of the subjects were more embarrassing than others, but he was comfortable with the majority of the questions. Of course, last night's conversation with Shinsou had helped quite a bit with both his confidence and comfort with the subjects.

He wasn’t the first one done with the quiz, but he finished faster than he expected and as he took the test up to the front of the class he found himself smiling. He wished more tests were that easy, but he knew that if everything was that easy then the class would be much bigger than it currently was.

Kaminari walked back to his desk, sitting down and pulling out his English Book. He did his best to study what was in front of him but found his mind wandering the longer he sat there staring at the words. He remembered that Midnight and Aizawa had mentioned there were transgender teachers in the school, and from what Shinsou said the night before it made him wonder if Aizawa was one of those teachers.

Kaminari looked up at his teacher, who was still reading something on his phone. Kaminari had never noticed before, but Aizawa didn’t seem to have an Adam's Apple. At least, not an obvious one, but he had consistent stubble, which would suggest he was biologically a male. But he had also seen females with stubble before. Kaminari put his head down on his desk with a frown.

Maybe Aizawa was on Testosterone? Or had surgery? If he was transgender, had he already fully transitioned? What was it like? Did it hurt? Was it scary?

Kaminari looked away from his teacher before he could get caught staring and began looking through his English book again.

He had so many questions he wanted - no - needed to ask. But Aizawa was clearly distracted, not to mention exhausted, and he couldn’t put his problems on top of Aizawa’s; it wouldn’t be fair. For now, Kaminari would wait and try to be patient. If it came up in the future he would ask about it, but now what was best for his teacher was to keep his questions to himself.

One by one, the class finished their tests and started studying. They hadn’t even realized what time it was until Present Mic walked into the classroom, startling Aizawa. Mic gave him a gentle smile, as though trying to reassure his co-worker before he turned his attention to the class.

“Hello, Listeners!” Mic boomed. “I hope you’re ready for a rockin’ lesson! Today we’re gonna be doing something’ different!”

‘Different’ was something that always caught the class’s attention, all of the class sitting up straighter.

“Shoji, out in the hall is a box! Will you bring it in, please?” Mic instructed and Shoji nodded, then got up from his desk. He walked into the hallway, quickly returning with a cardboard box. “Now, please pass the books out to the class.”

Shoji once again did as he was told, giving a book to each one of his classmates until everybody had a book with an English Title.

“To Kill A Mockingbird?” Tokoyami read out loud. “Not that I am against such a title, but why are we reading a book about killing birds?”

Mic let out a laugh. “Despite the name, this book is not about killing birds.” He held up his own copy, which unlike the others was older and well read. “To Kill A Mockingbird is one of my favorite books and it covers a lot of important subjects. It’s a bit outdated, all things considered, but it’s a good read. We’re going to read it as a class. That being said, you can read ahead in your private time but don’t expect everybody to read at the same pace.” He smiled, then took the box from Shoji when he brought it back to the front. “I’ll start us off and then we’ll go row by row reading a paragraph out loud.”

Mic looked at Aizawa before handing him a book. “Read along, Shouta.” He smiled. “It’ll be a good distraction.” He said, his voice slightly softer than before. Aizawa took the book and opened it. “Rockin’! Let’s begin!”

Mic was right about the book; at least in the fact that it wasn’t about killing birds as Kaminari and his classmates expected, but it wasn't light-hearted or anything else they were expecting from the book. It was a dark and rather depressing story with many sensitive subjects, some of which were still relevant to this day and age.

Because the book was so dark, only a few people decided to read it on their own. Jiro, Bakugou, Iida, Tsuyu, Shoji, and Tokoyami were such people. The rest of the class had decided to continue reading it in class, at least for the time being.

After English was Math with Cementoss, which seemed to drag on forever but also didn’t make a lick of sense to Kaminari. Thankfully after Math was Lunch, and by that point Kaminari felt like he was starving.

The class sat at their table, everybody enjoying their meals and individual conversations until Mina finally spoke up.

“Do you think Aizawa-Sensei is okay?” Mina asked, ignoring how Kirishima and Bakugou were eating loudly beside her.

“I’m sure he’s fine.” Sero said. “Family things tend to work themselves out eventually. Besides, if it was serious he'd say something, right?”

“Are you fuckin’ stupid?” Bakugou grumbled, swallowing his bite of food. “Of course he wouldn’t say anything; it’s none of our business.” He pointed out, making Kaminari frown. Bakugou had never explained how he got the bruise on his face after his birthday, but family had since become a sensitive subject.

“For once I agree with Bakugou!” Iida chimed in.

“I wish he would say something.” Uraraka said from a few seats away. “It’s hard to see him hurting as much as he is.”

“If he needed something he’d say something to Mic or Midnight, maybe even All Might. The best thing we can do for him is try to make his life as easy as possible until it figures itself out.” Shinsou said simply, glaring at his food. It seemed just as difficult for him to see Aizawa struggling as it was for the rest of them.

“What do you think we should do? To make his life easier, I mean.” Hagakure asked.

“I don’t know.” Shinsou shrugged. “Trying not to fight all the time would be a good idea. Keeping quiet, training and studying to get stronger without depending on him for everything.”

The group fell silent for a while, the only sound being that of their utensils clanking in their bowls. The quiet soon became too unbearable for Kaminari and he finally spoke up.

“That test earlier was super easy.” He commented. “It’s probably the first time I can confidently say I passed.”

“I hope you passed, Pikachu.” Bakugou growled. “Otherwise, I might have to kick your ass.”

“I think I passed too.” Mina smiled. “It felt more important than a lot of the other things we’ve learned so far.”

“Hardly.” Mineta growled and Kaminari frowned.

“Hardly? Are you serious, Mineta?” Jiro growled. “I thought you would be all for that kind of test.”

Shinsou pressed his knee against Kaminari’s, making the blond blush slightly as he tried to relax.

“Normally, yes. I am an expert of sexual conquests, after all.” He said with a wink towards Tsuyu, who simply ignored him. “But when it comes to that other stuff it’s all bullshit.”

Bakugou clenched his fist.

“I’m sorry. What part?” Yaoyorozu asked with a glare.

“Uh, all of it, obviously. I mean, consent makes sense; it’s part of the sexual act that makes everything easier in the long run. But the different ‘sexualities’ and ‘genders’, that’s just people being confused or mental. Lesbians just don’t know what a real man feels like, and these ‘transgender’ people need to be locked up until they learn what it’s like to be a real man or woman.”

“Mineta-” Kirishima tried to warn, putting his hand on Bakugou’s forearm as the blond quickly got angrier.

“You better shut the fuck up, grapehead.” Bakugou snapped and Mineta flinched, but only for a second.

“What’s the problem, Bakugou?” He leaned towards him and Midoriya tensed, clearly unsure if he should step in or not. “Thinking about it now… you have never shown any interest in a girl. You’ve never mentioned them, never joined in on our conversations, or anything. Are you a faggot, Bakugou? Can’t get it up unless you’re thinking about dick?”

Bakugou’s hands sparked threateningly.

“Mineta.” Midoriya said tightly.

Kaminari didn’t understand what changed with Mineta over the winter break, but whatever it was had given him confidence in his position, or at very least a death wish, because he was dancing on Bakugou’s last nerve.

“Come on, Bakubro.” Kirishima said softly. ‘He’s not worth it.”

Bakugou got up with Kirishima, the two starting to walk away when Mineta laughed.

“You too, Kiri? I thought you were all about ‘being manly’; what’s manly about being fucked in the ass?”

Kirishima tensed, holding Bakugou back as he lunged towards Mineta. Bakugou was stringing together curses that would make a sailor blush, but Mineta didn’t flinch. Kirishima looked at Mineta with a scowl.

“What’s manly, Mineta, is being able to accept who you are and understanding that people can do and be whatever they need to to be happy. Your views on the matter don’t matter because it doesn’t affect your life.” Kirishima snarled, his shark-like teeth making him look more menacing than Bakugou as he led Bakugou away.

It wasn’t only them that left, but soon everybody abandoned Mineta at the table, each one wanting to kick his ass more than the last.

Even Koda looked upset.

The rest of the school day was tense, uncomfortable, and… angry. It was nearly impossible to keep Bakugou from killing Mineta, and by the time they reached the dorms they all went their separate ways. It was also at the dorms that a clear change had begun. Everybody was ignoring Mineta now, more so than usual. Not only that, but those who had been hiding away their ‘flamboyant’ sides were now letting them shine brightly.

Aoyama was the best example of this. He no longer bothered hiding in his room and instead went out of his way to let Hagakure dress him up, do his hair, and compliment everybody (but Mineta) on how pretty they were.

Tsuyu and Uraraka would now walk on the other side of the room to avoid Mineta, not even acknowledging his existence when he tried to talk to them.

Bakugou, Kirishima, Mina and Sero went upstairs to read comics to keep Mineta out of their hair. 

Iida and Yaoyorozu only acknowledged Mineta if he spoke to them, but no other times.

Ojiro, Koda, Shoji, Sato and Tokoyami would sit outside to avoid Mineta altogether.

Jiro kept her headphones on, the musical blaring while she read, not even looking up at him when he tried to talk to her.

Midoriya would only give Mineta one-word answers and Todoroki would simply say “We are upset with you; please don’t bother us.” before he went back to ignoring Mineta.

Kaminari wanted to avoid Mineta more than anybody else, but also found it the most difficult. Mineta was his friend and it hurt both of them when he avoided him, but thankfully Shinsou was always at Kaminari’s side whenever Mineta would try to talk to him.

Of course, with all of this going on it didn’t take Aizawa long to realize that something was going on. Aizawa walked over to Kaminari and Shinsou, frowning as Mineta sulked in the direction of the elevators.

“What’s going on?” Aizawa asked, looking at Shinsou.

Shino frowned. “Mineta was being a dick at lunch.” He said quickly.

“Anything I need to be aware of?”

Shinsou looked at Kaminari, who shook his head quickly. “Not at the moment.” Shinsou shrugged. “If it gets worse or happens again, we’ll let you know.”

“Alright.” Aizawa nodded slowly, letting out a sigh.

“Are you alright, Aizawa?” Kaminari asked. “You seem… distracted.”

“I’m fine. Just waiting on a phone call.”

“Anything we can do to help?” Shinsou asked and Aizawa shook his head.

“Don’t worry about it; I’m sure everything will be fine.” Aizawa said, then walked towards the kitchen.

After three days things seemed to calm down. Aizawa was still waiting on his phone call but didn’t seem nearly as distracted by it, people began talking to Mineta again, and Mineta had started avoiding sensitive topics like the one he brought up on Monday. Kaminari almost thought things were back to normal until dinner on Thursday.

Aizawa had just left to do a patrol with Mic when Mina asked the startling question.

“Has anybody ever seen Aizawa without a shirt?” She asked off-handedly, and a few of the class actually choked on dinner.

Bakugou coughed as Kirishima patted his back. “What the fuck, Raccoon Eyes?!”

“I’m serious!” She said, her voice cracking. “Think about it! He climbed into the bath with his clothes on when Todoroki got sick; he didn’t even take his shirt off!”

“That is a very inappropriate question!” Iida said, his own face red as he waved his hands. “He is our teacher and you should not be having those kinds of thoughts about him!”

“What kind of - no! Not like that, ugh!” Mina was blushing even darker now. She sucked in a breath before continuing. “I’m not thinking about it like that, okay?! I don’t have a thing for Aizawa; I’m just worried about him.”

“Why would you be worried about him having a shirt on all the time?” Uraraka asked.

“Well… what if he’s hurt?” Mina said and Midoriya frowned. “All Might refuses to take his shirt off because his ‘scars are ugly’. Well, what if Aizawa is hurting in the same way?”

“I guess… that would make sense.” Hagakure said softly. “After the USJ Incident he needed to be in the hospital for a while; he’s probably covered in scars.”

Sero frowned. “Scars are one thing, but… would we even be able to tell if he was injured if he has his hero suit on?”

The class once again fell quiet, one that set everybody on edge.

“I’m not going to be the one to ask him to take his shirt off.” Mineta said after a moment.

“That would be awkward.” Sato agreed.

“Nobody should ask him to.” Iida sighed. “Unless we suspect he is injured we should never ask anybody to undress, especially a teacher. Did you all learn nothing last week?”

“You’re right.” Mina shrugged. “I just… I worry about him, I guess. I mean, he won’t tell us about what he’s going through in his life and that makes me worry that he’ll suffer in silence if we let him.”

Shinsou frowned, looking down at his food as he pressed his lips tightly together.

The conversation continued to bother Kaminari throughout the night, making it hard for the blond to sleep. By the time 4 AM came around, he had given up on sleeping and instead got ready for the day. He slipped on an oversized sweater over his tank top and sweats, then slipped on his slippers and exited his room. He made his way down the hallway to the elevator and down to the common room, exiting the elevator just as Aizawa walked into the dorms.

Aizawa had a bruise forming on his chin and was favoring his right ankle, but seemed otherwise unharmed. Upon seeing Kaminari, Aizawa sighed.

“What are you doing awake?” He asked, walking over to the table as he began rubbing his ankle.

“I couldn’t sleep.” Kaminari admitted, walking over. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine; just a rough patrol.”

Kaminari nodded, turning and going into the kitchen. He opened the freezer, pulling out an ice pack and taking it to his teacher. He handed it to him, receiving a mumbled ‘thank you’ as his teacher put the pack against his foot. “Did you win?”

“Of course.”

“Good.” Kaminari sat down across from him, scanning his teacher's face with a soft frown. 

“You’ve seemed troubled lately.” Aizawa said. “Something wrong?”

Kaminari tensed up, biting his lip for a moment. “Um… yeah. Do you remember when we were talking about genders?”

Aizawa nodded.

“Well… I-I’m trans…”

Aizawa didn’t look surprised, but he sat up straighter. “You are?”

Kaminari nodded. “Y-yeah- I mean, I think so. I-I put male on my application when I enrolled, but…” He slowly grabbed the collar of his sweater with discomfort. “I’m a girl. A-at least, physically. I-I wear a binder during the day and without it, I am extremely uncomfortable getting dressed or undressed.”

“I see. Have you told anybody about this?”

“I tried to tell my parents when I was younger, but only my aunt ever listened. I-I also told Shinsou on Sunday and he suggested I talk to you about it.” Kaminari rubbed the back of his neck. “H-he said you might be able to help me.”

“I can.” Aizawa assured. “In the morning, I can take you to Recovery Girl. She can put in a form to the Support Class so they can make a special binder for your costume.” He moved the ice from the outside of his ankle and moved it to the inner side. “We can also set you up with a psychologist who can help you and your family get started on a plan. If you want to, of course.”

Kaminari thought about it for a moment. “What do you mean by… a plan?”

“Well, some people like to transition right away, get chest surgery- while others do testosterone. Some only get chest surgery while others only get bottom surgery. It all depends on what kind of dysphoria you have and what is best for you. Talking with a trained professional will help you figure out a plan that is best for you physically and mentally.” Aizawa explained. “It’ll take time, but we can try to get you more comfortable.”

Kaminari’s lip trembled. “Thank you, Aizawa-Sensei.”

Aizawa reached over, messing up Kaminari’s hair. “Of course, kid. That’s what I'm here for.”


	9. Quick Note

Hey guys, I know there's been a bit since the last chapter so I just wanted to make this note and explain what's going on.

Currently my family and I are struggling to find a place to fit all of us, and with my long list of medical issues and the $35,000 dollar hospital debt I have no bank will give us the home loan necessary to buy a house of our own. Unfortunately that means we have only a week and a half left before the lease on our two bedroom apartment is up and we are left living on the street. Staying here another year isn't an option, simply because there is 6 of us living in this apartment and our mental states are quickly declining due to being stuck in such close quarters to one another, not to mention that if the apartment office found out that there were so many of us living together we would be kicked out immediately.

Once we know our living situation I will start posting consistently again, or I will update you on what's going to happen from there.

I'm sorry for keeping these next few chapters away from you guys but I'm struggling to focus on anything let alone writing. I hope you guys can wait just a little longer until I get my life somewhat together again.


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